BANCROFT 
LIBRARY 


THE  LIBRARY 

OF 
THE  UNIVERSITY 

OF  CALIFORNIA 


VV- 

OFE33ST     LETTER 


•:  TO  :• 


IB-   ZE3I_    IROIBIEDRTS, 


MR.  15.  H.  ROBERTS, 

Dear  Sir: — 1  Imvo  road  your  book 
on  "Succession  in  The  Presidency  of 
The  Church, "and  1  have  read  it  care- 
fully, and  find  that  you  are  a  good 
reasoner  and  logician  when  you  have 
sound  premises  to  reason  from;  but 
unfortunately  you  are  not  always  in 
possession  of  such  premises,  and 
therefore,  while  your  reasoning  fac- 
ulties are  good,  many  of  your  con- 
clusions are  simply  faulty  and  false. 
I  say  so  with  no  ill-feeling  to  you  or 
to  any.  I  Irive  written,  lately,  a 
little  work  on  this  question,  myself, 
but  have  not  yet  got  it  into  print, 
and  I  find  that  what  you  have  said 
in  relation  to  young  Joseph's  false 
claims  to  the  prophetic  office,  and 
what  I  have  said,  myself,  on  that 
matter,  run  very  nearly  together;  and 
I  feel  that  any  man  who  reflects  at 
all  upon  those  claims,  must  come  to 
similar  conclusions. 

Young  Joseph  Smith's  claims  are 
simply  false,  and  no  amount  of  effort 
can  make  them  true;  and  nothing 
but  the  merest  ignorance  or  effront- 
ery, with  a  determination  to  succeed 
at  any  cost,  could  ever  prompt 
any  man  who  looks  the  written 
facts  squarely  in  the  face,  to  stand 
up  in  its  defence.  These  Reorgan- 
ized gentlemen  are  not  ignorant 
of  the  weakness  of  their  position. 
Their  bread  and  butter,  however, 
are  at  stake,  and  feeling  that  they 
have  a  good  thing,  on  the  surface, 
thougff  false  and  rotten  under- 
neath, they  do  not  at  all  feel  like 
giving  it  up,  or  acknowledging  their 
errors.  But  I  often  think  it  strange 
that  Brighamites,  men  who  are  so 


confident    of    having    the    trnth   on 
their  side,  should   utterly  refu- 
take  up  the  gauntlet  thrown  dov 
by  these  same  Josephites,  especially 
asthey  are  commanded  to  "call  upcrt>. 
their  enemies  to  meet   them  both  Ui 
private  and  in  public,"  and  to  invit? 
them   to    bring   forth   their   strong 
reasons  against  the  Lord   and   Hit- 
I  work,  and   are  promised   that  in  u* 
;  much  as  they  are  faithful,  the  folly  .» 
j  their  enemies  shall  be  made  manifest. 
!  I  can't  imagine  how  that  utter  refu- 
jsal  can  be  justifiable  on   Brighain'rt 
|  part,  or  on  the  part  of  anyone  claim- 
ing the  right  to  lead  a  people  such  H 
i  the    Latter  Day    Saints,    especially 
|  where  so  much  self-evident  folly  cro,  * 
I  out  on  the  part  of  the  enemy  as  is 
i  found   in  support   of  the  claims    ;»f 
i  young  Joseph  to  succeed  his  father  In 
i  the  prophetic  office.  A  consciousness 
I  of  the  weakness  of  the  position   as- 
I  an  med  both  by  Brigham  and  his  sue- 
I  cessors,  can  alone  account  for  it. 

But  I  propose  now,  to  point  out  a 
j  few  things  which  concern  BrighamV 
history  and  claims,  which  I  am  n 
able  to  find  any  reference  made  to  \ 
your   book    on   ''Succession    in    the 
j  Presidency  of  the  Church." 

"He  that  is  ordained  of  me  (to  f: 
the  President's  office)  shall  come  in 
at  the  gate,  and   BE   ORDAINED   a*  i 
have  told  you  BEFORE." 

You  perceive  that  this  language  r<- 
I  fers    to    the  highest    officer    in    r 
church, and  can  refer  to  no  other ol- 
cer.    And  now,  what  did  God  tell  tin 
"BEFORE"  in  relation  to  the  ordin?  - 
tion  of  that  officer?    "I  have  sent  u-.- 
|  to  you   (Joseph)   Peter,  James  ai;«i 
John    (angels)  by    whom  I  hav 


dainerl  you."  ( Doc.  &  Co  v.  Sec.  27;  12, 
Salt  Lake  ed.) 

Is  this  what  God  said  "BEFORE" 
to  Joseph  touching  this  matter? 
Can  you  find  anything  else  that  God 
said  before,  as  to  how  and  by  whom 
this  officer  is  ordained?  If  you  can 
you  can  do  more  than  any  other 
man  I  have  ever  heard  of.  You  per- 
ceive, then,  that  this  officer  or  suc- 
cessor in  the  prophetic  office,  is  to 
BE  ORDAINED  to  that  office  as  I  (God) 
liave  told  you  before.  He  told  us 
'•before"  that  angels,  w*ho  in  their 
lifetime  were  ordained  to  be  proph- 
ets, seers,  revelators  and  translators, 
were  sent  unto  Joseph  to  ordain  him 
to  that  same  office,  and  Oliver  to  a 
secondary  office  in  the  holy  priest- 
hood. And  on  the  principle  that 
none  can  give  or  confer  upon  another 
that  which  was  never  conferred  upon 
himself,  as  a  matter  of  course,  the 
successor  to  Joseph  must  receive  an 
ordination  under  like  hands  to  those 
who  ordained  the  predecessor.  How 
else  can  the  words,  "as  I  have  told 
you  before"  have  any  reasonable 
meaning? 

But  looking  at  Brigham  Young,  I 
find  that  he  was  never  ordained  only 
to  the  office  of  the  President  of  the 
Twelve  Apostles  in  the  days  of  Jos- 
eph, and  XKVK«  CLAIMED  ANY  OTHER 

ORDINATION. 

The  death  of  a  prophet  adds 
nothing  to  any  man's  authority. 
It  simply  leaves  all  men's  ordination 
iin  the  church  as  it  found  them,  pre- 
cisely. And  this  being  the  case,  Brig- 
ham  Young  stood,  at  the  death  of 
Joseph,  precisely  where  he  was  be- 
fore that  event.  Brigham  nor  any 
ono  of  his  quorum,  nor  any  one  else, 
has  ever  claimed  for  him  any  higher 
ordination  than  to  the  presidency  of 
the  Twelve  Apostles.  Now,  a  priest 
(  Aaronic)  cannot  get  into  the  office 
of  nn  Elder  without  an  ordination  to 


that  office;  an  Elder  cannot  step  into 
the  office  of  High  Priest  without  an 
ordination  under  the  hands  of  some 
one  who  at  least  holds  that  office. 
A  High  Priest  cannot  get  into  the 
office  or  quorum  of  the  Twelve 
Aposties  without  an  ordination  to 
that  office,  under  the  hands  of  some 
person  or  persons  who,  at  least  hold 
that  authority.  Upon  the  same  prin- 
ciple, one  of  the  Twelve  Apostles 
could  never  get  into  the  office  of 
Assistant  President  or  Counsellor  to 
the  First  President  over  the  whole 
church,  without  an  ordination  to 
that  office,  under  the  hands  of  THE 
PRESIDENT  OVER  THE  WHOLE  CHURCH; 
and  as  a  matter  of  course,  were  one 
of  the  assistant  presidents,  or  coun- 
sellors to  the  FIRST  President  called 
to  fill  the  office  of  the  President  of 
the  whole  church,  he  could  not  step 
into  THAT  office  without  an  ordina- 
tion to  it,  any  more  than  Joseph  the 
prophet  could,  or  Moses  could,  or 
Jesus  could,  or  Peter,  Ja.mes'  and 
John  could,  or  any  other  man  who 
ever  held  that  office.  The  keys  of 
mysteries  and  revelations,  and  the 
right  to  stand  in  the  presence  of  God 
and  talk  with  Him  face  to  face,  are  al- 
ways conferred  upon,  and  possessed 
by,  this  officer. — (Doc.  &  Cov.  Sec. 
81:2.) 

Now.  weneed  not  ask  how  Brigham 
Young  came  to  possess  these  KEYS 
and  glorious  privi leges,  because  he 
never  possessed  them;  but  the  ques- 
tion is  here  and  now,  how  did  or 
could  Brigham  lawfully  step,  not 
only  over  the  office  of  As&istant  Pres- 
ident which  office  was  next  above 

him,  BUT  INTO  THE  OFFICE  NEXT 
AMOVE  THAT  AGAIN,  WHICH  IS  THE 
GREATEST  OF  ALL,  WITHOUT^AN  ORDI- 
NATION TO  EITHER  OF  THEM? 

My  friend  Roberts,  here  is  a  grand 
point,  which,  without  a  single  one 
more, ought  to  open  the  eyes  of  every 


thinking;  man  and  woman,  not  only 
in  I T  tali  hut  in  all  the  earth,  to  the 
monstrocity  of  Brigham  Young's 
usurpation!  Yon  should  know  that 
no  man  can  get  the  inspiring-  gifts  of 
any  office  in  the  whole  priesthood, 
unless  he  is  ordained  to  it,  and  law- 
fully ordained  to  it  at  that,  hy  his 
superiors  in  office. 

"The  Spirit  of  the  Lord  God  is 
upon  me,"  said  Jesus,  "BECAUSE  HE 
hath  ANOINTED  ME  to  prench  glad 
tidings  unto  the  meek,"  &c.  And 
surely  if  the  Spirit  that  guided  the 
great  Masterhuilder,  Christ,  was  not 
obtained  ONLY  IIY  ORDINATION  under 
the  hands  of  the  Almighty,  it  is  in 
vain  for  others  to  claim  the  glorious 
gifts  without  such  ordination.  (Luke 
4:  IS.)  "He  whom  tlrey  refused,  say- 
ing,'who  made  thee  a  ruler  and  a 
judge;'  the  same  (Moses)  did  God 
send  to  he  a  RULER  and  a  DELIVERER, 
hy  THE  HAND  of  THE  AXUEL  who  ap- 
peared to  him  in  the  Bush."— (Acts  7: 
35.) 

"The  Law  given  unto  Moses,  who 
was  ordai  led  BY  THE  HANDS  OF  AN- 
(JELS,  to  he  the  mediator  of  this  first 
covenant,  the  la  w. "-(Gal.  3:  19,  In- 
spired.) 

"And  unto  you  three  (Peter,  James 
and  John)  will  I  (Jesus)  give  this 
power  and  the  Keys  of  THIS  MINISTRY 
until  I  come. "-Doc.  &Co  v.  April  1829.) 
The  Keys  to  what  ministry?  The 
Keys  of  that  same  ministry 
which  they  bestowed  upon  Joseph 
hy  the  laying  on  of  their  hands.  "Up- 
on you  three,"  &c.  Then  Jesus  did 
not  bestow  the  Keys  of  this  ministry 
upon  all  of  the  twelve  in  his  day? 
Indeed  he  did  not.  Besides,  his  lan- 
guage is  in  the  future  tense;  "I  will 
give,"  &c.,  showing  that  the  keys 
which  they  conferred  upon  Joseph 
Smith  HAD  NOT  YET  been  conferred 
upon  them.  Peter,  it  seems,  was  the 
first  ordained  to  this  power  and  min- 


3 


istry;  James  succeeded  him.  and  John 
followed.  It  was  necessary,  there- 
fore, that  these  personages,  being 
clothed  with  the  holy  priesthood 
after  the  order  of  the  Son  of  (Jod, 
should  be  sent  to  confer  that  office 
upon  Joseph  to  enable  him  to  build 
according  to  the  pattern,  and  to  or- 
ganize his  church  upon  its  ancient 
foundation  and  order.  How  else 
could  Joseph  Smith  come  into  pos- 
session of  the  keys,  gifts  and  power 
of  that  office?  I  mention  the  ordina- 
tion of  Moses  and  that  of  Jesus, 
Peter,  James  and  John,  to  the  proph- 
etic office,  as  well  as  that  of  Joseph 
Smith,  merely  to  show  the  necessity 
of  all  who  hold  it  or  ever  did  hold  it, 
being  ordained  to  it.  And  as  all 
these  were  ordained  to  this  office  by 
the  hands  of  heavenly  messengers, 
who  themselves  held  it,  and  obtain- 
ed it  in  the  same  way  IN  THEIR  DAY 

AND   GENERATION,  SO    all     HlllSt    COllie 

into  possession  of  it.  As  this  office 
is  the  highest  and  the  greatest  known 
to  man,  or  that  can  he-conferred  upon 
|  man,  there  being  no  greater,  and  as 
I  none  but  one  can  hold  it  at  the  same 
|  time  on  the  earth,  there  is  an  abso- 
i  lute  necessity  that  as  often  as  one 
holding  this  priesthood  is  to  be  suc- 
ceeded by  another,  he  mustcorneinto 
possession  of  it  as  all  the  rest  have. 
There  is  no  need  nor  place  for  a  suc- 
cessor to  this  office  as  long  as  the 
predecessor  is  living,  or  remains  a 
prophet  on  the  earth,  and  if  Joseph 
Smith  should  have  ordained  his  suc- 
cessor five  minutes  before  he  was 
slain,  or  "taken,"  it  would  be  a  vio- 
lation of  the  oath  of  God,  who  said: 
"and  this  ye  shall  know  ASSUREDLY, 
that  there  is  none  other  appointed 
unto  you  to  receive  commandments 
and  revelations  UNTIL,  HE  BE  TAKEN, 
if  he  abide  in  me."  A  parallel  case 
to  this  is  seen  in  the  case  of  Elisha 
and  Elijah.  The  former  asked  the 


latter  for  a  double  portion  of  the 
prophetic  gift  and  power,  and  that 
was  simply  that  he  might  be  endow- 
ed with  the  prophetic  gifts  of  Elijah. 
Elijah  answered  that  he  had  asked 
"a  hard  thing,"  nevertheless  if  thon 
see  me  when  I  am  "TAKEN"  it  shall 
be  so  unto  thee, but  if  not  it  shallnot 
be  so.  No  room, .von  see,  for  another 
like  Elijah  until  he  was  taken;  but 
when  Elijah  was  taken  up  from  the 
earth  into  the  chariot  of  God,  he 
could  then  act  as  an  angel  of  light 
and  no  doubt  the  prophetic  office 
was  then  conferred  as  in  the  other 
cases,  by  the  laying  on  of  hands;  for 
the  prophetic  gifts  are  not  given  only 
by  the  laying  on  of  hands  of  those 
who  possess  them. 

I  am  aware  that  Mr.  Woodruff  has 
claimed  that  the  Twelve  received 
from  Joseph  a  short  time  before  his 
death,  an  endowment  of  ALL  the 
prophetic  gifts  and  keys  which  he 
himself  possessed  in  his  prophetic 
ministrj'.  There  is  not  one  word  of 
truth  in  this  statement, either  in  the- 
ory or  in  fact.  It  is  teetotally  at 
war  with  all  that  God  has  revealed 
in  the  present  or  past  dispensations, 
first  of  all.  God  never  in  any  age  of 
the  world,  conferred  the  prophetic 
gifts  upon  any  more  than  one  at  the 
same  time.  God  promised  only  to 
plant  another  in  Joseph's  stead,  not 
ten  or  a  dozen.  Besides,  there  is  the 
promise  of  God,  that  no  one  would 
be  appointed  to  receive  command- 
ments and  revelations  for  the  church 
during  his  ministry  as  a  prophet, 
simpl.\,as  before  observed,  because 
there  was  neither  place  nor  use  for 
any  such  person,  and  never  was,  un- 
til he  was  taken. 

The  following  quotations  from  the 
Doc.  &  Cov.,  show  that  but  one  was 
promised  to  succeed  Joseph,  and  all 
history,  reason,  revelation  and  com- 
mon sense,  give  the  lie  to  the  claim 


of  any  more. 

"I  have  given  unto  him  the  keys  of 
the  mysteries  and  revelations  which 
are  sealed  until  I  shall  appoint  unto 
them  (the  church)  ANOTHER  in  his 
stead."  Not  ten  or  a  dozen. 

"I  have  given  unto  him  (Joseph) 
the  keys  of  the  mystery  of  those 
things  which  are  sealed,  even  things 
which  were  from  the  foundation  of 
the  world,  and  the  things  which  shall 
come  from  this-time  until  the  time  of 
my  coming,  if  he  abide  in  me,  and  if 
not,  ANOTHER."  not  ten  or  a  dozen, 
"will  I  plant  in  his  stead." 

"He  shall  not  have  power  except 
|  to  appoint  ANOTHER  in  his  stead." 

"Nevertheless  through    you   (Jos- 

jeph)   shall  the    oracles   (the    sealed 

!  mysteries  and  revelations;  be  given 

|  to  ANOTHER,  even  unto  the  church." 

!  Here  are  four  testimonies  taken  from 

as  many  revelations  given  at  different 

times,  to  assure  the  Saints  that  God 

would  appoint  ANOTHER  in  the  stead 

|  of  Joseph,  to  lead  the  church  in  his 

stead  as  Joseph  led  it,  but  no  more. 

But  the  claim  of  Mr.  Willford 
!  Woodruff  is  lame  in  other  great 
points  as  well  as  this.  You  know 
that  God  made  it  a  la  w  to  the  church 
that  its  president  is  appointed  by 
revelation  and  that  that  revelation 
is  to  come  from  God  THROUGH  JOSEPH, 
as"The  President  of  the  church,  who 
is  also  the  president  of  the  council, 

IS  APPOINTED  BY  REVELATION   (D()C.& 

Cov.  Sec.  102:9.) 

"Bllt    VERILY,    VERILY    I    Say    UlltO 

you,  that  none  else  shall  be  appoint- 
ed unto  THIS  GIFT,"  (that  is,  the  gift 
of  receiving  commandments  and  rev- 
elations for  the  Church),  "except  it 
be  THROUGH  HIM." — Joseph.  "And 
this  shall  be  a  law  unto  you."  &c., 
"that  ye  be  not  deceived"  and  that 
ye  may  know  that  the  revelations  of 
all  others  but  his,  who  is  so  appoint- 
ed of  God,  through  Joseph,  are  false 


and  will  lead  to  destruction  sooner 
or  later.  For  all  thing's  in  God's 
K  i  ngd  o  in  "n  re  governed  bylaw,' 'ami 
that  being  true,  it  must  of  necessity 
be,  that  the  call,  appointment  and 
ordination  of  a  prophet  is  fixed  and 
accomplished  by  Law, and  the  above 
is  the  law,  and  Brigham  Young;  never 
pretended  that  he  was  called  in  a  113- 


tion,  and  BEFORE  he  had  been  taken 
himself?!!!  Tlwit  may  do  very  well 
to  amuse  little  children  with,  but  no 
man  having-  any  knowledge  of  the 
order  of  God's  house,  can  ever  set 
that  down  as  a  truth.  Supposing 
we  admit  all  this,  what  evidence  is 
there  to  show  that  they  possessed 
ANY  ONE  of  the  prophetic  gifts  of  Jos- 
eph, the  Seer,  since  they  laid  claim  to 
all  this?  Absolutely  none,  and  it  is 


such    way.     Nor  has  any  living  or 

dead    man    ever    claimed    to    be  so 

appointed    but  Mr.  Strang.      They    positively  surprising  that  they  could 

could   not  claim    such    an    appoint-    have  the  hardihood  to  lay  claim  to 

ment,  because  they  never  received  it    any  such  gifts  as  Joseph  Smith  pos- 

to  claim.      The  Brighamite  leaders   sessed,   knowing,  as   many   do,  and 

never  claimed  any   ordination  than    all  should,  that  no  such  gifts  have 

that  of  the  Twelve  Apostles.    And    ever  been  possessed  by  them. 

as  their  calling  and  mission  is  solely       Who  ever  heard   of  a?iy   of  them 

and    wholly   to  the  nations  of   the   handling  the  IJrum  and  Thuniiniuni. 


earth,  UNDER  THE   DIRECTION  OF  THE 


or  the  ancient   records  and   oracles 


CHIEF  SHEPHERD,  and  not  to  the  |  which  this  instrument  is  designed  to 
church,  we  must  conclude  that  the  j  translate?  Is  the  Book  of  Mormon 
God  of  Israel,  who  has  madeso  many  to  be  believed  when  it  testifies  that 
promises  that  He  would"j)lant/'and  j  both  this  instrument  and  the  ancient 
"appoint  another"in. Joseph's  stead,  records  are  to  be  handed  down  from 
has  fulfilled  His  word,  not  only  that  |  generation  to  generation,  or  from 
these  men  might  be  regularly  sent  on  ,  ONE  PROPHET  TO  ANOTHER?  Has  the 
their  missions,  but  that  the  work  of  I  Almighty  altered  this  saying  at  any 


Joseph  as  a  prophet,  seer,  revelator 
and  translator,  might  go  on.  And 
these  men,  in  attempting  to  get  out 
of  their  own  offices  and  into  an  office 
far  superior  to  theirs,  without  any 
legal  call  or  appointment  to  it,  to 
say  nothing  of  an  ordination  to  it, 
instead  of  quietly  going  on  their  mis- 
sions to  the  nations,  merely  make 
themselves  deceivers  of  the  people, 
and  their  revelations  the  work  of  the 
wicked  one. 

Talk  about  Joseph  endowing  the 
Twelve  with  every  key  and  every 
giftthat  he  possessed  himself!  Why, 
if  that  were  possible,  it  would  make 
the  whole  Twelve,  prophets,  seers, 
revelators  and  translators,  just  as 
he  was  himself!!  And  he  did  all  this? 
— made  all  these  men  just  such  as  he 
was  himself,  and  without  an  ordina- 


time  in  the  past? 

Is  not  the  successor  of  any  office, 
the  world  over,  entitled  to  the  same 
privileges;  the  SAME  KNOWLEDGE;  the 
samepowERS, PREROGATIVES  and  AU- 
THORITY possessed  by  the  predecess- 
or? And  is  it  not  as  universal  a  fact 
that  all  successors  in  any  office,  must 
be  appointed  ACCORDING  TO  THE  SAME 
LAW,  and  BY  THE  SAME  POWER,  that 
appointed  the  predecessor?  If  God 
appoints  and  constitutes  one  proph- 
et to-day  by  one  law,  and  another  to 
succeed  him  to-morrow  by  another 
law,  and  another  regulation,  and 
after  a  while  appoints  another  suc- 
cessor in  the  same  office  by  still 
another  law  and  power,  and  so  keeps 
on  at  it,  never  appointing  and  con- 
stituting any  two  prophets  to  stand 
at  the  head  alike,  thus  keeping  His 


6 _         

Saints  in  an  eternal  puzzle  and  hide- 
a  mi-go  seek  to  find  the  truth,  I  can't 
conceive  of  any  one  who  has  taken 
more  pains  than  He  to  deceive  his 
people,  though  He  has  said,  "take 
heed  that  no  man  deceive  yon.''  But  I 
God  forbid  that  this  is  the  order  of 
things  tlint  He  asks  mankind  to  bow  | 
to.  The  fault  is  with  man,  the  blind 
leaders  of  the  blind;  the  corrupt  and 
the  crafty,  and  not  with  the  Al- 
mighty. 

Remembering  that  God  (as  before 
said  )  promised  to  place  another  in 
.Joseph's  stead,  some  four  different 
times;  and  as  it  is  claimed  for  the 
Twelve  that  they  were  endowed  with 
all  the  keys  and  gifts  held  by  Joseph, 
the  prophet,  will  you  tell  us  how  it 
happened  that  Brigliam  Young  so 
soon  after  Joseph's  death, so  grossly 
contradicted  the  Almighty  by  say- 
ing: "LET  NO  MAN  PRESUME,  FOlt  A 
MOMENT,  THAT  JOSEPH'S  PLACE  WILL 

HE  FILLED  BY  ANOTHER.  For  re- 
member that  he  stands  in  his  OWTII 
place,  and  always  will,  and  the 
Twelve  stand  in  their  own  place  and 
always  will."  Is  this  the  kind  of  evi- 
dence you  have  to  offer,  that  Brig- 
ham  and  his  quorum  were  endowed 
with  all  the  keys  and  gifts  held  by 
Joseph,  the  prophet?' 

If  God  changed  from  the  promises 
abovemade.  what  was  it  thatcaused 
that  change?  A. ml  if  He  did  not, 
which,  of  course,  is  true,  then  by 
what  authority,  or  keys  or  inspira- 
tion, did  Brigham  put  forth  that 
most  emphatic  'decree?  Joseph's 
"place"  was  at  the  head  of  the 
church  ox  EARTH.as  its  leader.  That 
was  tlie  place  that  God  at  four  differ- 
ent times,  said  He  would  appoint 
and  ordain  one  to  fill.  That  was  the 
place,  or  the  "stead  referred  to  by 
the  Almighty."  God  said  He  would 
fill  it.  Brigham  Young  stands  up  in 
a  public  congregation  and  proclaims 


to  all  the  Saints  in  all  the  world: 
"Let  no  man  presume, fora  moment, 
that  Joseph's  place  will  be  filled  by 
another, "&c.,  thus  contradicting  the 
Almighty;  telling  them,  also,  that 
Joseph  still  stood  in  his  own  place, 
when  he  was  cut  down  and  no  longer 
occupied  his  place  at  the  head  of  the 
church  on  earth.  Moreover. he  (says: 
"And  the  Twelve  stand  in  their  own 
place  and  ALWAYS  WILL;"  which  in  a 
short  time  afterward  turns  out  to 
be  false  also.  For  they  soon  got  out 
of  their  places  after  Joseph's  death, 
teaching  rind  assuming  that  the 
Twelve  were  the  proper  persons  to 
lead  the  church,  utterly  independent 
of  any  one  else.  But  through  the 
force  of  arguments  hurled  against 
them  by  Mr.  Strang,  they  aj-ain 
change  front,  and  turn  and  ELECT 
Brigham  Young  to  stand  in  Joseph's 
"place"  and  two  others  out  of  his 
quorum  to  be  Ins  counsellors,  and 
then  ordained  three  others  to  fill 
their  vacant  places  in  said  quorum. 
And  all  this  in  the  face  of  that  other 
saying  of  Brigham,  sent  into  all 
the  world:  "Brethren,  you  are  NOW 

WITHOUT  A  PROPHET  PRESENT  WITH 
YOi;  IN  THE  FLESH  TO  GUIDE  YOU,  bllt 

i  you  are  not  without  a.postles,"&c. 

And  yet,  after  all  this,  his  follow- 
ers undertake  to  prove  him  a,  proph- 
et, "like  unto  Moses,  having  all  the 
gifts  which  God  bestows  upon  the 
head  of  the  church!"  or  all  the  gifts 
and  keys  which  God  conferred  upon 
the  prophet  Joseph,  who  who  was  a 
prophet  ilke  unto  Moses!!! 

And  now  I  feel  very  much  like  test- 
ing Brigham  Young  in  the  claim  set 
up  for  him  as  a  successor  of  the 
prophet,  Joseph  Smith,  a  little  fur- 
ther. 

You  may  remember  that  it  is  said 
that — "The  DUTY  of  the  President  of 
the  office  of  the  High  priesthood  is  to 
preside  over  the  whole  ehurch,  and 


belike  unto  Moses.  Behold,  here  is 
wisdom!  yea  to  be  a  seer,  n  revcla- 
tor,  a  translator  and  a,  prophet, 
having  ALL  the  gifts  of  God  which 
He  bestows  upon  the  head  of  the 
church."  (Dot.&  Cov.Sec.  107:  1)1,92.) 
When  he  gave  the  lie  to  the  above 
promises  of  God,  was  tluU  an  evi- 
dence that  he  was  a  prophet,  and  a 
seer  of  God  like  unto  Moses?  As  the 
Hook  of  Mormon  says  that  the  being 
put  in  possession  of  the  Uruiii  and 
Thummium,  b.y  the  power  of  God,  is 
what  constitutes  a  seer.  What  evi- 
dence can  you  or  any  one  else  bring 
from  the  testimony  of  Brigham 
Young  that  he  ever  was  a  seer  after 
this  pattern?  And  it  being  written 
in  the  Book  of  Mormon  that,  the 
records  had  and  kept  among  the 
Xephites  were  designed  to  RK  IIAXD- 

KI>  DOWN  FROM  ONE  PROPHET  TO  AN- 
OTHER, &c.  (See  1st  Book  of  Nephi, 
Chap.  5:  47,  also  Book  of  Mosiab, 
Chap.  13:  3,)  and  it  being  claimed  by 
you  and  others  thatBrigham  Young 
was  Joseph's  lawful  successor,  in 
the  Presidency  and  prophetic  office, 
what  evidence  have  you  to  offer  to 
any  honest  inquirer,  that  he  either 
ever  handled  or  saw  either  these  rec- 
ords or  the  instrument  designed  for 
their  translation?  Who  are  his  wit- 
nesses in  these  matters? 

I  know  as  well  as  I  wish  to  know, 
that  Joseph  Smith  held  these  records 
and  translated  from  them  by  this 
instrument.  I  am  just  as  well  satis- 
lied  that  Mr.  Strang  did  possess 
these  tilings,  and  did  translate  from 
ami  by  them  as  Joseph  did.  1  have 
never  seen  either  of  these  men  trans- 
late and  have  only  their  own  and 
their  witnesses'  testimony  for  it. 
Why  should  i  believe  Brigham  Young 
or  any  of  his  successors  to  be  seers, 
when  neither  he  nor  they,  nor  any- 
body else  ever  testified  that  he  was  a 
seer  of  this  kind?  Why  should  I  be- 
lieve Young  Joseph  a  seer,  when 


neither  he  nor  any  one  else,  as  a  wit- 
ness, has  ever  testified  to  his  being 
anything  of  the  kind?  Did  you  ever 
inquire  into  the  merits  of  the  works 
of  Mr.  Strang,  so  as  to  satisfy  your- 
self that  you  do  not  falsely  accuse 
him  of  being  an  impostor?  Or  did 
you.  do  with  him  precisely  as  the  ene- 
mies of  Joseph  have  done  with  him, 
condemn  him  solely  upon  the  testi- 
mony of  his  meanest  and  basest  ene- 
mies? You  know  that  Joseph's  ene- 
mies believed  that  he  lied  for  break- 
fast and  dinner  and  supper,  and 
between  meals;  when  he  lay  down 
and  when  he  arose;  when  he  labored 
and  when  he  rested:  that  his  whole 
life  was  one  living  lie,  for  the  sake  of 
a  little  paltry  gain.  And  you  must 
have  an  idea  that  as  Joseph  Smith's 
enemiesdid  to  him,sodid  the  enemies 
|  of  all  the  prophets  to  them.  What 
of  it,  you  say?  Nothing,  only  it 
would  seem  that  those  who  were 
once  believers  in  Joseph  Smith  have 
changed  places  with  them,  and  now 
do  the  same  thing  with  his  successor. 

1  do  not  forget  another  plea  set  up 
by  you  and  others  in  behalf  of  Brig- 
ham  Young,  and  the  right  of  his 
quorum  to  lead  the  church:  namely, 
that  the  quorum  of  the  Twelve  are 
co-equal  in  power  and  decision  with 
the  First  Presidency  of  the  church. 
A  graver  mistake  could  not  be  made 
by  any  man  or  set  of  men. 

All  officers  in  the  church  of  like 
priesthood,  are  organized  into  quo- 
rums, each  quorum  being  entitled  to 
a  president  and  two  counsellors,  ap- 
pointed out  of  their  own  quorum. 
The  High  Priests  are  entitled  to  such 
a  president  and  counsellors.  (See 
page  445,  Doc.  &  Cov.  par.  133  to  1  :•{(>: 
also  page  385;  par.  21  to  23.) 

Now,  it  is  said  in  par.  24,  that  the 
Twelve  Apostles  form  a  quorum 
"equal  in  authority  and  power  to 
the  three  presidents  previously  men- 
tioned." 


The  question  arises  here:  are  these 
three  presidents  the  quorum  of  THE 
FIRST  PRESIDENCY  of  the  chuch,  who 
preside  over  the  whole  Priesthood, 
and  over  the  whole  church,  or  are 
they  the  presidents  of  the  High 
Priests'  quorum?  The  latter  are 
doubtless  the  quorum  intended.  To 
say  that  this  quorum  is  the  quorum 
of  the  FIRST  Presidency  of  the  church 
is  virtually  to  say  that  there  was,  in 
the  days  of  Joseph,  no  supreme,  con- 
trolling; or  governing  power  in  the 
church;  for  it  is  said  in  the  con- 
nection, that  several  other  quorums 
were  equal  in  authoriy  and  power 
with  this  quorum,  and  with  each 
•>ther.  But  in  the  lifetime  of  Joseph 
the  Twelve  were  subject, and  amena- 
ble to, and  sent  on  their  missions  by, 
the  FIRST  PRESIDENCY  of  the  church; 
and  all  this  shows  the  superiority  of 
the  First  Presidency,  not  only  over 
the  Twelve,  but  over  all  the  church. 

To  say  that  all  the  above  mention- 
ed quorums  were  equal  in  powerand 
authority  with  the  First  Presidency 
is  simply  to  say  that  any  one  of 
them  might  do  as  they  pleased,  and 
there  was  no  one  to  call  them  in 
question  or  set  them  in  order.  But 
we  are  assured  by  revelation,  (page 
391.  Doc.  &  Cov.  78  par.  to  80,)  that 
the  First  President  and  his  counsel- 
lors are  the  HIGHEST  council  in  the 
church  of  God,  and  that  their  decis- 
ions are  the  end  of  controversy  in  all 
spiritual  matters  brought  before  it. 
That  is  not  said  anywhere  of  the  de- 
cisions of  the  Twelve,  nor  of  any 
othfM1  quorum  in  the  church,  for  they 
all  can  be  called  in  question  and  ap- 
pealed from, in  their  decisions. except 
the  decisions  of  this  quorum. 

Moreover. the  Twelve,  at  the  death 
of  Joseph  Smith,  had  nothing  to  do 
with  the  regulating  of  the  affairs  of 
the  church  at  Nauvoo,  or  any  other 
ORGANIZED  stake  of  Zion.  Thev  are 


everywhere  spoken  of  as  a  traveling, 
presiding  high  council,  officiating  in 
the  name  of  the  Lord  under  the  di- 
rection of  the  First  Presidency ,  whose 
duty  and  mission  is,  abroad  among 
the  nations  of  the  earth,  opening  up 
the  gospel  tothe  inhabitants  thereof. 
Yet,  as  soon  as  Joseph  and  Hyrum 
were  taken,  they  assumed  the  reins  of 
government  and  authority,  over  the 
whole  church,  and  not  only  under- 
take to  cut  off  Sidney  Rigdon,  a  man 
over  whom  they  had  no  authority, 
but  undertake  to  cut  off  Mr.  Strahg, 
also,  who  held  the  written  appoint- 
ment by  revelation  through  Joseph, 
as  his  lawful  successor,  without  so 
much  as  giving  him  a  hearing,  which 
every  accused  man,  both  in  and  out 
of  the  church,  is  entitled  to,  and 
should  have! 

Now,  you  have  spoken  somewhat 
against  Mr.  Strang's  appointment, 
and  claims  of  angelic  ordination,  but 
for  the  sake  of  consistency,  DO  put 
some  kind  of  a  decent  face,  if  possible, 
upon  Brigham  Young's  career  and 
claims  to  succeed  the  prophet,  Jos- 
eph; and  until  you  can  accomplish 
this,  DO  be  silent  about  the  claims  of 
Mr.  Strang  or  anybody  eise. 

It  is  true  that  Mr.  Strang  was  or- 
dained a  King,  and  a  great  deal  of 
ado  has  been  made  about  it  by  some 
Mormons. 

You  may  never  have  heard  of  it, 
but  it  is  just  as  true  that  Joseph 
Smith  was  ordained  to  the  Kingly 
office.  Both  William  Marks  and 
George  Miller  have  put  it  on  record 
that  Joseph  Smith,  some  time  before 
his  martyrdom,  was  also  ordained  a 
King.  Any  one  who  has  a  copy  of 
Chas.  H.  Thompson's  old  "HAR- 
WNGER  AND  GROAN, "and  Gen.  George 
Miller's  correspondence  with  the 
"NORTHERN  ISLANDER,"  in  the  early 
fifties, can  very  clearly  read  that  fact 
for  himself. 


William  Marks,  you  know,  \vlio 
was  1  hen  Ch as.  B.Thompson's  "Chief 
Teacher  in  Jehovah's  Presbytery,  of 
/ion,"  and  who,  in  1X(iO,  ordained 
young  Joseph  Smith  to  ho  his 
father's  successor  in  the  prophetic 
office,  at  Ainboy,  111.,  and  who  was 
associated  with  the  said  ("has.  P>. 
Thompson  for  some  seven  years  he- 
fore,  has  taken  groat  pains  to  inform 
us  of  the  Kindly  ordination  of  Joseph 
Smith,  as  well  as  that  plural  mar- 
riage was  introduced,  and  practiced 
in  Nan  voo,  about  the  same  time. 

You  say,  perhaps,  what  of  all  this? 
Nothing,    except    merely   this:    that 
both   Joseph    and  James,  were  very 
much  alike  in  these  matters,  as  well 
as  in  all  other  things.     So  that  if  the 
one  is  condemned   for  these  things 
the  other  is  also.    And  if  the  one  is 
blameless  and  blessed,  the  other  is. 
For  my  own  part,  I  cannot  see  any 
more    wrong    in    being    anointed    a  ' 
Kingthan  in  being  anointed  a  Bishop  j 
or  a  High  Priest.     They  are  all  offi-  j 
cers   belonging    to    the  Holy   Priest- 
hood. 

Whatever  argument  or  train  of  j 
thought  conspires  to  overthow 
James,  will  also  overthrow  Joseph; 
for  what  the  predecessor  is  the  suc- 
cessor is  and  MI;ST  be  also.  Tt  is  true 
that  the  successor  of  Joseph  would 
not  need  to  commence  and  reveal 
anew  precisely  the  same  things  that 
Joseph  did,  but  he  would  begin 
where  Joseph  left  off  and  continueto 
reveal  the  same  things  which  Joseph 
would  have  revealed  had  he  been 
permitted  to  continue  as  a  prophet 
of  God  to  his  people.  That  is  pre- 
cisely the  direction  in  which  Mr. 
Stra.ng  folio  wed.  Joseph  Smith  and 
all  theother  prophets,  ha  ve  informed 
us,  that  the  Latter  Day  dispensation 
is  to  be  made  up  of  all  the  dispensa- 
tions of  the  past.  (See  Joseph's  sec- 
ond letter  on  Baptism  for  the  dead, 


__ 'i 

par.  is.  Compendium,  page  1  i::.    Acts 
:',:  21.) 

Joseph  Smith  merely  commenced 
this  groat  work  by  first  revealing 
the  first  principles  of  the  gospel  and 
the  order  of  the  priesthood,  but  this 
;  only  in  part;  ( First  letter  on  Baptism 
for  the  dead,  par,  is,)  and  many 
other  things  necessary  to  the  work 
of  the  ministry  and  the  gathering  of 
the  saints.  But  he  did  not  reveal 
but  a  small  part  of  that  which  is  to 
come  forth  in  this  dispensation.  The 
Book  of  Mormon  tells  us  in  more 
than  a  dozen  places,  that  the  ''one 
hundredth  part"  of  the  things  had 
|  and  done  among  the  Nephites,  are 
not  contained  in  Mormon's  abridge- 
ment,' and  the  New  Testament 
;  abounds  with  sayings,  references 
and  allusions  to  things  once  known 
among  the  Ansient  Saints,  which  are 
not,  as  yet,  understood  by  the  Latter 
Day  Saints.  There  is  very  little  of 
the  Apocalypse  understood.  There 
are  many  sayings  in  Paul's  writings 
that  are  anything  but  clearly  under- 
stood; as,  for  instance,  the  change 
that  was-  made  in  the  priesthood, 
that,  of  necessity,  made  a  change  in 
the  law.— (Heb.  7:  12.)  And  there 
are,  also  several  other  chapters  which 
have,  to  us,  meaningless  sayings. 

Galations  3:  19,  speaks  of  a,  law 
that  was  added  because  of  trans- 
gressions in  the  time  of  Moses,  and 
was  to  remain  in  force  till  Christ. 
Ezekiel  20:  25,  also  speaks  of  that 
Taw,  and  says  it  "was  not  good." 
and  that  it  was  added  because  of 
transgressing  laws.  Sabbaths,  stat- 
utes and  judgments  which  had  been 
previously  given  them  in  Sinai.  But 
neither  Ezekiel  nor  Paul  tell  us  what 
that  law  was.  The  Book  of  Mormon 
also  says  much  about  that  law  but 
does  not  tell  us  clearly  what  it  is. 
Revelation  only  can  make  this  and 
the  many  other  things,  clear  to  the 


10 __ 

understanding-  of  the  Saints.  There 
is  but  a  little  of  the  Book  of  Isaiah 
understood,  although  nearly  all  of  it 
refers  to  these  last  days.  Questions 
grow  out  of  baptism  for  the  dead  as 
.Joseph  left  it;  as  who,  or  what  offi- 
cer in  the  priesthood  i«  authorized  to 
baptize  for  their  dead?  What  are 
the  conditions  and  qualifications  of 
those  who  are  baptized  for  their 
dead,  and  how  far  back  among  our 
ancestors  are  we  authorized  to  go  in 
being  baptized  for  them?  These  are 
all  questions  of  vital  importance  un- 
answered by  Joseph  Smith  in  what 
he  has  left  us  on  this  ordinance  of 
baptism  for  the  dead.  I  mention 
these  things,  and  any  amount  more 
might  be  mentioned,  to  show  that 
he  merely  commenced  the  dispensa- 
tion of  the  fullness  of  times. 

And  now.  we  know  that  Brigham 
Young  never  revealed  a  single  item  of 
these  lost  or  covered  dispensations. 
Nor  did  any  one  of  his  successors; 
neither  has  any  oneelse  if  it  be  proper 
to  ignore  Mr.  Strong  as  .Joseph 
Smith's  lawful  successor. 

Now.  Paul  tells  us  that  God,  by 
means  of  the  dispensation  of  the  full- 
ness of  times,  is  going  to  gather  all 
things  both  in  heaven  and  in  earth 
IN  o.\  K,  in  Christ. — (Ephes.  1:10.)  And 
I  am  sure  I  can  see  no  way  that  all 
things  can  be  united  in  one,  only  by 
revealing  all  the  dispensations  of  the 
past, and  bringing  all  intosubjection 
to  them.  How  are  the  Saints  of 
these  days  to  be  united  and  made* 
one  with  the  Saints  of  former  times, 
unless  by  becoming  acquainted  with 
the  law  and  the  testimony  and  the 
counsels  of  God  that  governed  and 
led  them?  And  how  can  we  become 
acquainted  with  and  obey  these 
things  unless  they  are  revealed  tons? 

When  Israel  entered  the  land  of 
Canaan  they  were  free  and  independ- 
ent of  all  other  nations.  Then  they 


had    no  laws    but  God's    laws  to 

govern  them,  either  in  their  secular 

or  spiritual  affairs.    God  was  "their 

King  and  their  law-giver."    His  law 

alone  ruled  them,  both  in  peace  and 

in  war;    in    their    incomings  and   in 

their  out-goings,  in  their  week  days 

i  and  on  their  Sabbaths,  in  their  feast- 

jings  and    their  mournings,  in   their 

I  social  gatherings,  and  in  their  loneli- 

|  ness.    There  was  no  such  distinction 

|  among  them   as  church   and   state. 

I  Their  church   officers  and  state  offi- 

|  cers  were  all  one.     And,  as  a  matter 

1  of  course,  this  law  that  so  ruled  the 

people  of  God   in   those  ages,   MT -ST 

irOMK    FORTH    IN    THIS    AUK.      Idoiiot 

[say  that  it  must  come  forth  to  set 
I  aside  the  political  law  of  this  land, 
or  any  other  land.  But  as  God  has 
decreed  thedestruction  of  the  nations 
in  these  days,  and  the  setting  up  of 
His  Kingdom  upon  their  ruins,  it 
becomes  a  matter  of  the  highest 
necessity  that  this  law  of  God  be 
FIRST  revealed,  and  the  Saints  made 
acquainted  with  it, so  that  when  the 
nations  of  the  earth  are  going  down 
by  the  judgments  of  God,  they  inn.v 
be  able  to  establish  the  order  of  the 
Kingdom  of  God  in  their  stead,  just 
as  it  has  been  in  the  past,  but  to 
much  greater  perfection. 

In  harmony  with  this,  God  gave 
Mr.  Strang  a  considerable  part  of 
this  law,  besides  various  revelations 
which  guided  him  in  the  same  work, 
which  he  commenced  by  Joseph 
Smith. 

All  these  things  speak  for  them- 
selves, and  show  to  the  lover  of  truth 
that  the  same  master  mind  that 
guided  Joseph  Smith,  guided  .lames 
J.  Strang. 

The  Knowledge  of  God  does  not,  in 
these  days,  any  in  ore  than  in  any 
other, come  in  and  take  possession  of 
men's  minds  without  thought,  re- 
flection and  careful  investigation. 


Let  men  lay  by  their  prejudices,  and 
honestly  think,  reflect  and  investi- 
gate, and  compare  spiritual  thing** 
with  spiritual,  find  we  are  not  one 
whit  afraid  hut  what  they  will  find 
the  works  of  Mr.  Strang  as  sound  as 
the  works  of  any  other  prophet,  es- 
pecially that  commenced  by  the 
prophet,  Joseph,  and  in  exact  har- 
mony with  them,  too. 

Before  closing;  this  letter,  I  must 
return  again,  for  a  moment,  to  the 
necessity  of  Joseph's  successor  being 
ordained.  "We  do  not,"  says  the 
prophet  Joseph,  "consider  ourselves 
bound  to  receive  any  revelation  from 
any  one  man  or  woman,  without 
their  being  legally  constituted  AND 
ORDAINED  to  that  authority  and 
given  SUFFICIENT  PROOF  of  it. "(Times 
and  Seasons,  Vol.  5,  page  752. ) 

This,  taken  in  connection  with  the 
saying,  "shall  come  in  at  the  gate 
and  be  ordained  as  I  have  told  you 
(the church)  before;"  and  the  further 
fact  that  Moses,  Jesus,  Peter,  James 
and  John,  and  Joseph  Smith;  yes, 
and  all  the  Holy  prophets  since  the 
world  began,  have  all  been  ordained 
to  the  office  of  prophet,  seer,  revela- 
tor  and  translator,  and  to  all  the 
gifts  which  God  bestows  upon  the 
head  of  the  church,  and  by  heavenly 
messengers,  too,  all  make  A  MIGHTY 

AND  STRONG    POINT  AGAINST    Brighaill 

Young.  This  being  true  of  all  the 
prophets  since  the  days  of  Adam, 
upon  what  ground  shall  Brigham 
Young  and  his  successors  be  exempt- 
ed from  its  necessity? 

I  am  not  nowT  addressing  myself 
to  the  Reorganized  gentlemen  who 
teach  that  Joseph  was  a  prophet, 
seer,  revelator  and  translator  before 
his  ordination  under  the  hands  of 
Peter.  James  and  John,  who  they 
say,  did  not  lay  their  hands  on 
Joseph  and  Oliver,  but  merely  or- 
dained them  as  sectarians  do,  bv 


11 

commanding  these  unordained  men 
to  ordain  one  another,  thus  building 
up  another  sectarian  church.  lint  I 
am  addressing  myself  to  a  man  or 
men  who  I  believe  have  a  much  bet- 
ter sense  of  the  nature  and  impor- 
tance of  an  ordination,  that  is,  a 
genuine  ordination,  under  the  hands 
of  those  who  were  themselves  or- 
dained, and  who,  at  least,  hold  that 
degree  of  the  priesthood  which  they 
undertake  to  confer  on  others. 

It  is  true  that  the  first  or  leading 
officers  of  the  Church  are  "first 
apostles,  "but  it  is  very  evident  that 
in  the  order  of  apostles  there  are  dif- 
ferent degrees. 

Joseph  Smith  was  an  apostle  of 
the  highest  or  first  dregree.  His 
counsellors  or  assistants  in  the  Pres- 
idency, are  also  apostles,  but  of  sec- 
ond a  ry  d  eg  ree .  T  h  e  T  w  five  a  re  next 
below  the  first  and  second  degree, 
and  are  subject  to  them,  and  they 
are  neither  prophets,  seers,  revel  a  tors 
nor  translators  to  the  church,  and 
are  never  in  tlie  law  of  the  church, 
spoken  of  as  such.  Herein  is  the  dif- 
ference between  Brigham  Young  and 
his  quorum,  and  the  one  whom  God 
places  at  the  head  of  the  church. 
The  assistant  presidents  art1  proph- 
ets, seers  and  revelators,  but  are  not 
allowed  to  write  their  revelations  for 
the  government  of  the  church. 
Where,  then,  had  Brigham  Young 
the  right  to  be  a  revelator  to  the 
church?  Joseph  alone  held  the  keys 
of  mysteriesand  revelations, and  had 
the  right,  in  virtue  of  his  ordination, 
to  stand  in  the  presence  of  God,  and 
give  the  word  of  God  as  from  His 
own  mouth.  No  other  apostle  in 
the  church  held  any  such  right. 
"Thou,"  Oliver  Cowdery,  "shall  not 
command  him  who  is  at  thy  head 
and  at  the  head  of  the  church.  For 
1  have  given  him  (Joseph)  the  KEYS 

Of    the    MYSTERIES    and     THE  REVELA- 


TIONS  which  are  sealed,  until  I  shall 
appoint  unto  them  another  in  his 
stead."— (Doc.  &  Cov.  Sec.  28:  0,7.) 
•'And  I  have  given  unto  him  (Joseph) 
the  keys  of  the  mystery  of  those 
things  which  have  been  sealed,  even 
things  which  were  from  the  founda- 
tion of  the  world,  and  the  things 
which  shall  come  from  this  time  until 
the  time  of  my  coming,  if  he  abide  in 
me,  and  if  not  another  will  I  plant  in 
his  stead/'— (Sec.  35:  IS.)  "And  this 
greater  priesthood  (that  is,  the 
priesthood  which  is  after  the  holiest 
order  of  God.)  holdeth  the  key  of  the 
mysteries  of  the  kingdom,  even  the 
key  of  the  Knowledge  of  God." — (Sec. 
S4:  19.) 

You  perceive,  then,  that  it  is  this 
highest  nnd  "most  holy  order"  of  the 
priesthood  that  holds  the  key  of  the 
mysteries  of  the  Kingdom  of  God, 
the  key  of  the  knowledge  of  God. 
How,  then,  could  Brigham  Young 
or  his  successor,  or  young  Joseph 
Smith  or  anybody  else,  come  in  pos- 
session of  these  keys  without  this 
highest  and  most  holy  order  of 
priesthood?  And  how  could  he  or 
any  one  else  come  in  possession  of 
this  most  Holy  order  of  the  priest- 
hood, only  HS  Joseph  and  Moses, and 
Jesus  and  Peter,  James  and  John 
and  others,  all  of  whom  obtained  it 
only  under  the  hands  of  heavenly 
messengers? 

I  will  now  examine  Brigh'am 
Young's  temple  building.  In  the  first 
place,  they  are  all  very  fine  in  taste 
and  architecture;  exceedingly  expen- 
sive, and  so  far  as  mere  human  wis- 
dom and  skill  are  concerned,  are  well 
worthy  of  any  people.  But  the  great 
trouble  with  them  all  is,  they  are 
great  piles  of  cold  stone,  laid  up  by 
man's  wisdom  and  not  by  the  direc- 
tion or  commandment  of  God,  in 
which  neither  God  nor  the  angels  of 
His  presence,  put  in  any  appearance. 


any  more  than  they  do  in  the  great 
cathedrals  of  the  Roman  Catholic 
Chnrch.  I  fear  not  to  say  that  those 
Utah  temples  have  been  pointed  from 
the  laying-of  the  very  first  stone  to 
the  very  highest  point  on  their 
towers  and  steeples,  and  that  first 
and  last  they  have  been,  and  still  arc 

A  STIXK  IX  THE  XOSTKILS  OF  Goi)  Al,- 
MKJ1ITY  AND  OF  THE  ANCJELS  WHO  AUK 

His  MIXISTKKS.  For  first  of  all,  the 
Almighty  God  never,  either  called 
the  people  there;  and  in  the  second 
place  Brigham  Young  was  a  gross 
usurper,  who  took  the  name  of  the 
Almighty  God  in  vain,  not  having 
a  shadow  of  right  to  the  place  and 
position  lie  assumed  over  the  Latter 
Day  Saints.— (Doc.  &  Cov.  Sec.  (5:3:  01 
to  C>3. ) 

I  know  very  well,  and  I  think  you 
ought  to  know  it,  too.  that  every 
temple  and  tabernacle  mentioned  in 
Holy  Writ,  where  God  commanded 
His  people,  through  a,  true  prophet, 
to  build  a  house  untoHim  according 
j  to  the  pattern  which  He  gave  them 
by  revelation,  that  His  glory  and 
His  presence  was  there.  And  the 
honest  and  pure  in  heart  were  entire- 
ly satisfied  that  it  was  so.  For  when 
Moses  had  reared  up  the  tabernacle 
in  the  wilderness,  "Then  a  cloud 
covered  I  he  tent  of  the  congregation, 
and  the  glory  of  1  lie  Lord  filled  the 
tabernacle." — I  Ex.  40:  :>4  1o  :>S. ) 

A  n<l  of  the  tern  pie  built  by  Solomon 
the  pattern  of  which  was  obtained 
of  God  by  revelation,  we  read  that 
"when  the  priests  were  come  out  of 
the  holy  place,  the  cloud  filled  the 
house  of  theLord,so  that  the  priests 
could  not  stand  to  minister  because 
of  the  cloud,  for  the  glory  of  the  Lord 
filled  the  house  ot  the  Lord."  And  in 
the  dedicating  prayer,  Solomon  said 
"If  there  be  in  the  land,  famine,  pes- 
tilence, blasting,  mildew,  locust,  or  if 
there  be  caterpillars;  whatsoever 


plague,  whatsoever  sickness  there 
he,"  &c.,"then  hear  Thou, in  Heaven 
Tli.v  dwelling  place,  and  forgive,  and 
do,  and  give  to  every  man  according 
to  his  ways  whose  lienrtTliou  know- 
est,"  &c. — (See  1st  King,  Chap,  s. ) 

From  all  that  we  can  gather  from 
the  subject  of  temple  building,  in 
Holy  Writ,  we  are  assured  that  they 
are  not  built  for  the  mere  purpose  of 
congregating  together  to  hear  some 
great  man  or  men  making  great  dis- 
plays of  human  wisdom,  where 
neither  God  nor  the  angels  of  His 
presenceever  put  in  any  appearance, 
and  are  never  seen  nor  he-trd.  But 


yea,  and  my  presence  shall  be  there, 
for  I  will  come  into  it,  and  AM.  TIN: 

I'UKIO  IX  IIKAKT  THAT  SHALL  COMK 
INTO  IT.  SHALL  SKK  (lODJ  but  if  it  be 

defiled  I  will  not  come  into  it,  nnd 
my  glory  shall  not  be  there, for  1  will 
not  come  into  unholy  temples. -(  Doc. 
&  Cov.  97:  15  to  19.) 

Again,  in  Sec.  94;  par.  (>  to  10,  there 
is  a  very  similar  testimony.  "For 
verily,  this  generation  shall  not  all 
pass  away,  until  a  house  be  built 
unto  the  Lord,  and  a  cloud  shall  rest 
upon  it,  which  cloud  shall  be  even 
the  glory  of  the  Lord  which  shall  fill 
the  house. "-(Sec.  84:  5.) 


we  do  learn  this:— that  a  temple  of!  So,  now,  if  the  glory  of  God  has 
the  Lord  is  a  habitation  of  God,  been,  and  is  to  be,  in  all  these  cases, 
where  honest  men  and  women  may  ;  wnere,  we  ask  in  all  candor,  is  the 
go  and  petition  Him  upon  any  sub-  glol.y  of  God  in  al,  y(mr  grpat  J5|..g_ 
ject  that  concerns  their  welfare  here  ham  Young  temples  and  tabernacles? 
or  hereafter,  and  get  answers 
their  prayers. 

Behold  Samuel's   mother  pouring  ,  kllow   nothing  of  the  order  of  the 
outher  soul's  desire  inthe  tabernacle   ,H)lv  priesthood,  and   in   agreement 


t()    You  see  how   nicely  one  thing  har- 
monizes  with   another.    The  Popes 


nt  Shiloh,and  the  glorious  blessing 

Hhe  received.      Also,    Rebecca   went 

away  to  inquire  of  the  Lord  touch-  ; 

ing  her  posterity.    She  likely  went   and  call  them  houses  of  God,  &c.,  but 

to  the  temple  of  the  Lord    built  in    the  Almighty,  through  the  angels  of 


with  tneh.  destitution  of  its  ordi- 
,mnces  aml  Rifts,  thev  bu|Ic,  Wonder- 
Mb,  nne  eniirene8  and  cathedrals, 


presence,  enters  not  these.  What  is 
the  difference  between  them  and 
yours?  There  are  no  mysteries  of 


those  days. — (Gen.  25:  21  to  23.) 

"One  thing."  says  David,  "have  I 
desired  of  the  Lord,  that  I  will  seek 
after;  that  I  may  dwell  in  the  house  the  past,  present,  or  to  come,  reveal- 
of  the  Lord  all  the  days  of  my  life,  to  j  ed  in  any  of  the  great  Catholic  or 
BEHOLD  THE  BEAUTY  OF  THE  i. OKU,  ;  Protestant  churches,  though  they 
and  to  INQUIRE  ix His  TEMPLE. "-(Ps.  j  cost  many  hundreds  of  millions  to 
27:  -M  erect  them.  Is  there  any  of  the  lost 

When  he  was  troubled   by   the  in-  j  things  of  Holy  Writ,  or  any  mystery 
crease  of  the  ungodly  in  the  land,  he  j  ot-  the  past,  present,  or  to  come,  re- 


says,  iti  going  into  the  sanctuary  or 
house  of  God  to  inquire  concerning 
them.  "Then, "said  he, ''understood 
i  their  end."— (Ps.  73:  1  to  IS.) 

"And  inasmuch  as  my  people  build 
a  house  unto  me,  in  the  name  of  the 
Lord,  and  do  not  suffer  any  unclean 
tiling  to  come  into  it,  that  it  be  not 
defiled,  my  glory  shall  rest  rpoxit, 


vealed  in  any  of  the  great  temples  of 
Utah  any  more  than  in  the  Catholic 
or  Protestant  temples?  Are  there 
any  calamities  that  afflicted  the  peo- 
ple or  oppressions  exercised  over 
them,  removed?  Do  insects,  bugs, 
worms  and  blights  prey  upon  the 
crops  of  Utah  now  aw  bad  and  even 
worse  than  before?  And  what  bet- 


14 


ter  are  you  off  in  any  way,  since  the 
building  and  dedication  of  those 
wonderful  temples,  than  you  were  be- 
fore? See,  now,  th«t  the  ancient 
temples  of  God  were  all  built  to 
bring-  blessings  of  all  kinds,  and 
put  away  curses  and  calamities  of 
all  kinds;  but  what  have  you  se- 
cured, or  driven  off? 

"O,  we  have  done  wonders  for  our 
dead;  many  thousands  have  been 
baptized  f-»r  their  dead  relatives, 
and  thus  we  halve  secured  their  sal- 
vation," etc.,  say  you.  O  fools!  If 
the  dead  could  speak  they  would  cry 
out  against  your  folly  and  vanity, 
and  ask  you  what  good  you  can  do 
for  them  when  you  can  secure  NO 
COOK  FOR  YOURSELVES?  How  can 
you  save  us  when  you  are  not  saved 
yourselves?  When  you  left  Nan voo 
and  crossed  the  Mississippi,  to  go 
into  the  wilds  of  the  west  where  God 

I 

never  called  you  to  go. instead  of  go- 
ing to   Voree,    Wisconsin,  where  he  I 
DID    call    you    to    go,    through    the! 
prophet  .Joseph,  yon  forfeited  priest- 
hood, and  membership  in  the  church 
of  Jesus  Christ  of  Latter  Day  Saints,  j 
rind   both   you   and   your  dead  were  i 
rejected   according  to  the  decrees  of 
God  given  before,  in  that  same  city, 
and  we  are  satisfied    from    what   is 
written   that  unless  you  speedily  re- 
pent, your  dead  will   not  only  curse 
you  in  days  to  come,  but  the  glory  i 
and  honor  of  raising  them  up  will  be 
given  to  others. 

Therefore  it  is  no  great  wonder 
that  your  leaders,  once  so  mighty  in 
argument,  and  mighty  in  testimony, 
should  now  fear  to  take  up'  the 
gauntlet  which  fools  and  fanatics 
have  thrown  down,  and  have  be- 
come weak  as  other  men,  as  Samson 
of  old. 

"O,  but  have  we  not  accomplished 
wonders  in  settling  and  irrigating 
and  making  homes,  cities,  towns 


and  villages  in  the  Rocky  moun- 
tains? We  have  translated  the  Book 
of  Mormon  into  many  languages, 
and  we  have  preached  to  and  gath- 
ered out  many  people  from  the  na- 
tions of  the  earth  and  given  them 
homes  and  made  them  acquainted 
with  the  things  of  God,"  etc. 

Perhaps  you  have  never  thought 
that  wicked  men  ma.y  do  such  things 
as  these,  and  even  greater  by  a  good 
deal. 

"Now  will  I  point  out  a  mystery: 
Many  SINNERS  shall  turn  and  trans- 
gress against  the  word  of  upright- 
ness. They  shall  speak  evil 
things;  they  shall  utter  falsehood; 

EXECUTE  GREAT  UNDERTAKINGS,  and 
COMPOSE  BOOKS  IN  THEIR  OWN 

WORDS."  (Prophecy  of  Enoch  touch- 
ing the  last  days. )  So  you  see  that 
those  who  turn  and  1  ransgress  the 
word  of  uprightness,  apeak  evil 
i  things,  and  utter  falsehoods,  CAN 

I  ACCOMPLISH     GREAT    UNDERTAKINGS," 

land  write  many  Books.  There  is  a, 
class  of  men,  also,  who  are  going  to 
come  up  before  the  Saviour  by  and 
by,  yon  know,  for  judgment,  who 
will  plead  before  him  that  they  have 
done  a  great  many  "wonderful 
works"  in  hrs  name,  who  will  be 
surprised  to  hear  him  say:  "Verily  I 
say  unto  you,  you  know  me  not;  de- 
part from  me  ye  workersof iniquity." 
You  will  find  then,  friend  Roberts, 
that  God  is  just  as  good  as  his  word; 
that  both  you  and  all  your  co-lead- 
ers with  vourdeml  are  rejected,  not- 
withstanding all  your  wonderful  do- 
ings. You  may  remember  also  that 
God  has  said:  "If  they  (the  church  ) 
are  not  ORGANIZED  according  to  mv 
law  they  shall  be  cut  off."  (Doc.  & 
Cov.,  Sec.  51:1,  2. ) 

A  great  deal  is  said  about  the  re- 
maining of  the  priesthood  "in  you 
and  your  lineage  until  the  restora- 
tion of  all  things,  etc.,"  but  we  must 


not  forget  the  other  sentence  follow- 
ing: "Therefore  blessed  are  ye  IF  YE 
ro.vn.Nf  K  IN  MY  ( i ooi>.\ Kss,  i\  ligh t  to 
the  Gentiles., -mil  through  t  his  priest- 
hood ;i  Saviour  unto  my  people." 
l  See.  S(>:10,  11.)  Query:  Were  the 
.feus  cut  off  for  rejecting  the  Sav- 
iour? Did  not  the  priesthood  con- 
tinue with  them  and  their  lineage? 
Was  William  E.  McLlellan,  Oliver 
Cowdery,  David  Whitmer  and  fifty 
other  prominent  men  in  the  church 
in  this  generation  cut  off  and  the 
priesthood  taken  from  them?  Did 
the\  inherit  the  right  to  this  priest- 
hood from  their  fathers?  Was  it 
taken  from  them  for  evil-doing? 
And,  if  taken  from  all  these  for  evil- 
doing,  what  is  to  save  the  whole  fra- 
ternity of  the  Salt  Luke  leaders  from 
the  like  fate,  when  guilty  of  like 
•crimes?  "Say  not  we  have  Abraham 
to  our  father,  for  God  is  able  of  these 
stones  to  raise  up  children  unto 
Abraham."  (  Math.  3:!).') 

Remember  that  the  Kingdom  of 
God  has  not  yet  ceased  to  suffer  vio- 
lence and  that  the  violent  have  not 
yet  ceased  to  take  it  by  force.  (Math. 
11:1*2,)  Remember,  too.  that  false 
shepherds  may  possess  and  rule  and 
lead  the  sheep  or  the  church  of  God. 
even  in  these  last  days  for  a  time; 
but  the  promise  of  God  is  that  he 
will  cause  them  to  cease  to  FEED  HIS 
FLOCK  and  deli ver  them  out  of  their 
hands.  Any  one  who  carefully  reads 
the  34th  chap,  of  Ezekiel  may  see  this 
most  satisfactorily  for  himself;  and 
he  will  see  moreover  that  this  chap- 
ter refers  wholly  to  these  last  days. 
God  sa.vs  here  that  lie  is  going  to  re- 
(juii-eHis  FLOCK  at  the  hands  of  these 
false  shepherds;  and  even  in  Joseph's 
day.  when  deception  was  beginning 
to  (Miter  into  the  church,  God  says: 
"Woe  unto  them  who  are  DEOEIV. 
ERS  and  HYPOCRITES;  for  thus  saith 
the  Lord  I  will  bring  them  to  judg- 


ment.  I'ehold  verily  I  say  unto  you 
there  are  hypocrites  among  yon.  and 
have  deceived  some,  which  has  given 
the  adversary  power,  but  behold 
sucu  SHALL  mo  KKCLAIMKD;  but  the 
hypocrites  shall  be  detected  and 
shall  be  cut  off  either  in  life  or  in 
death,  even  as  I  will,  and  woe  unto 
those.who  are  cut  off  from  my  church 
for  the  same  are  overcome  of  the 
world."  (Sec.  r>0:(»  to  1). ) 

"  Whereforeletall  men  beware  how 
they  take  my  name  in  their  lips;  for 
behold  verily  I  say  that  many  there 
be  who  are  under  this  condemnation; 
who  use  the  name  of  God,  and  use  it 
in  vain,  having  not  authority. 
Wherefore  let  the  church  repent  of 
their  sins,  and  I  the  Lord  will  own 
them,  otherwise  they  shall  be  cut 
off."— (Sec.  63:  (>1  to  63. ) 
1  You  see  by  this  testimony  how 
nearly  the  church  came  to  be  rejected 
as  early  as  August,  1831,  and  by  much 
that  is  written  on  this  point  you 
may  all  learn  that  God  has  in  no 
way  obliged  himself  to  regard  or 
acknowledge  any  people  as  his 
church,  who  disregard  his  counsels 
and  refuse  to  hear  the  voice  of  his 
chosen  prophets. 

You  all  teach  that  God  changes 
not;  that  such  AS  he  wasin  ages  past 
such  he  is  to-day  without  any  doubt. 
Now  he  said  in  thepast  to  the  Proph- 
et Jeremiah:  "At  what  instant  I 
shall  speak  concerning  a  nation  and 
concerning  a  kingdom  to  build  and 
to  plant  it,  if  it  do  evil  in  my  sight, 
that  it  obey  not  my  voice,  then  will 
I  repent  of 'the  good,  wherewith  I 
said  I  would 'benefit  them."(Jer.  IS:  7 
to  10.)  Moreover,  Joseph  has  told 
the  church  in  his  day,  that,  "If  Zion 
does  not  purify  herself  so  astobe  ap- 
proved of  in  all  things  in  the  sight  of 
God,  he  will  seek  himself  another  peo- 
ple, for  his  work  will  go  on  until 
Israel  is  gathered,  and  they  who  wiH 


10  

not  hear  his  voice,  must  expect  to 
feel  his  wrath." — (Times  &  Seasons 
Vol.  5:  page  720.) 

The  spokes  of  a  wheel  do  not  point 
with  any  more  certainty  to  its  center 
than  that  all  these  things  points 
you  out  as  a  deceived  and  a  rejected 
people.  You  may  count  Brigham 
Young1  and  his  successor's  every 


certainly  will  be  very  welcome.  And 
just  as  you  have  not  hearkened  to 
the  voice  of  God,  but  have  mobbed 
the  messengers  of  God  out  of  the  city 
of  the  Saints, — so  God  has  sent  men 
unto  you  who  did  not  regard  you 
nor  your  petitions,  nor  your  plead- 
ings, but  have  dragged  you  to 
prison,  and  robbed  you  by  fines  and 


word  of  advice  and  counsel  as  so  i  penalties  without  mercy  or  feeling 
many  revelations  from  God,  and  thus  ! for  either  the  aged  or  the  young  or 
blaspheme  and  profane  thecharacter  j  the  indigent  among  you.  And  the 
of  theGod  of  Israel,  but  you  never  can  !  floodgates  of  vice  and  crime  of  every 
succeed  in  showing  any  one  of  them  !  kin<*  have  been  opened  against  you 
in  possession  of  the  keys  and  gifts  «»<!  >'<>">'  children  to  seduce  and  de- 
which  always  belonged  to  the  pro-  stroy  them.  And  my  opinion  is 
phetic  office,  to  which  Joseph  Smith  that  you  will  be  punished  "seven 
and  all  his  predecessors  were  called  times  more"  and  "seven  times  more," 
by  the  voice  of  God  and  ordained,  ""til  the  day  that  you  repent  of  all 
You  may  tell  us  about  your  "Priest- l  these  evils,  or  else  are  blotted  out  by 
hood  meetings,"  and  reprove  your  the  coming  of  the  Lord  .Jesus.  God 
followers  for  being  disobedient  and  «»>'s  He  will  exalt  His  people  jn 
rebellious  against  the  Priesthood,  righteousness,  and  deliver  them  in 
&c..  but  most  earnestly  we  would  judgments,  and  that  He  will  make 
admonish  you  to  look  well  and  see  U8e  of  the  Gentiles  to  chastise  them 
whether  you  have  any  priesthood,  an(1  bring  them  to  repentance.  For 
and  to  consider  whether  it  would  not  if  they  will  not  turn  from  their  false 
be  just  as  proper  for  you  as  leaders  leaders  and  teachers  when  faithfully 
to  hearken  to  your  followers,  a*  for  ;  warned  aiid  shown  their  errors 
them  to  hearken  to  you.  For  as  i  "the  heaviest  of  all  judgments,"  the 
truly  as  God  appointed  James  J.  Almighty  says,  is  theirs. 
Strang,  through  the  prophet  Joseph,  |  We  testify  to  all  the  peopleof  Utah 


to  take  his  place  in  the  leadership  of 
the  Church, so  surely  have  the  priest- 
hood of  all  your  leaders  who  have 
refused  to  hearken  to  that  Letter  of 
appointment, been  taken  from  them; 
and  so  surely  as  you  have  crossed 
over  the  Mississippi  out  of  the  citv 
of  Xauvoo,  under  the  leadership  of 
the  Twelve,  to  go  into  the  wilder- 
ness under  such  leadership,  instead 
of  going  where  that  letter  required 
you  to  go,  so  surely  were  you  all  re- 
jected with  your  dead,  as  a  people; 
for  this  is  the  very  place,  and  point 
of  your  rejection.  And,  now,  if  you 
can  get  beyond  this  into  the  King- 
dom of  God,  without  repentance, you 


that  God  did,  according  ti>  His  prom- 
ises to  Joseph,  raise  up  and  appoint 
James  J.  Strang  by  revelation 
through  Joseph,  and  ordained  him 
by  the  hands  of  angels,  according  to 
the  pattern,  to  stand  in  Joseph's 
stead  to  lead  his  people,  and  that  at 
the  earliest  possible  time  afterward, 
that  he  sent  his  messengers  to  Nau- 
voo  to  inform  and  to  warn  you  of  it, 
and  that  the  revelation  of  appoint- 
ment also  appointed  Voree  as  a 
gathering  place  and  refuge  of  peace 
from  persecution,  and  commanded 
the  Saints  at  Nauvoo  and  in  all  tli<k 
world,  to  gather  there,  and  obtain 
inheritances  therein;  that  all  were 


required  to  stand  in  their  proper 
places  that  the  work  of  God  might 
go  on  in  its  usual  strength.  We  also 
testify  to  .von  that  Mr.  Strung  was 
a  prophet,  a  SF,KR,a  TRANSLATOR  and 
a  RKVELATOR  as  Joseph  was;  that 
he  held  the  Urirn  and  Thum  mi  in,  and 
did  translate  ancient  records  by  that 
instrument,  as  Joseph  Smith  did; 
and  that  he  gave  all  men  sufficient 
proof  of  these  things. 

We  do  not  believe  that  the  Church 
was  rejected  "at  thedeath  of  Joseph" 
as  Young  Josephites  vainly  and  un- 
lawfully teach;  nor  do  we  believe 
that  any  one  is  authorized  to  so 
teach.  But  we  can  tell  you  very 
truly  that  a  court  assembled  at 
Voree  on  the  sixth  day  ot  April, 
eighteen  hundred  and  forty-six,  hav- 
ing lawful  jurisdiction  of  the  case, 
and  did  there  and  then  at  the  mouths 
of  many  witnesses  deliberate  on  the 
cases  of  your  leaders,  did  try  and 
condemn  them  as  USURPERS,  TEACH- 
ERS OF  FALSE  DOCTRINE,  for  TYRRANY, 


17 


for  OPPRESSION  and  ROMHERY  OF  TIII; 
SAINTS,  with  various  other  charges, 
and  that  their  priesthood  and  mem- 
bership was  there  and  then  taken 
from  them,  and  that  they  were  de- 
livered over  to  the  buffetings  of 
Satan  until  they  repent  and  make 
satisfaction;  and  these  things  are  all 
on  record  from  that  day  to  the  pres- 
ent, and  can  be  seen  by  all  who  may 
wish  to  do  so.  Bnt  the  WHOLE  PEO- 
PLE, as  before  stated,  were  rejected 
with  their  dead  when  they  crossed 
the  Mississippi  out  of  Nauvoo,  to 
follow  Brigham  Young  to  the  west- 
ern wilds;  for  God  never  called  them 
to  go  there,  or  to  follow  any  such 
man  or  men. 

Having  borne  a  faithful  testimony 
to  all  these  things,  I  now  close  my 
letter. 

Truly  and  Sincerely, 

WINGFIELD  WATSON. 

Spring  Prairie,  Wis.,  Nov.  13, 1894 


TO   GEORGE  Q.  CANNON. 


DEAR  SIR: — In  your  Sermon  in  the 
Deseret  Weekly  News  of  March  14, 
1896,  yon  have  very  coolly  accused 
Gen.  George  Miller,  or  Bishop  Miller, 
with  criminal  conduct  with  women, 
and  that  on  that  account  he  lost  the 
spirit  and  denied  the  faith.  Permit 
me  to  tell  you,  sir,  that  Gen.  George 
Miller  was  no  such  man  as  you  have 
pictured  him.  1  doubt  very  sincere!  v 
that  you  have  a  more  upright  and 
sterling  man  in  all  your  ranks, 
than  was  Gen.  George  Miller,  not 
only  from  the  day  of  his  baptism  till 
his  death,  but  throughout  his  whole 
life.  He  was  an  honorable,  brave 
and  true  man,  every  inch  of  him,  and 
would  scorn  to  be  guilty  of  the  crime 
you  accuse  him  with,  or  any  other 
thing  mean  or  cowardly.  Do  you 
think  that  God  did  not  know  what 
He  was  about  when  He  said: — "Let 
no  man  despise  my  servant  Georgp, 
FOR  HE  SHALL  HONOR  MR?"  There  is 
no  IF  nor  HUT  nor  any  other  proviso 
here.  "He  SHALL  honor  me."  And 
remember,  this  was  given  of  him  but. 
a  short  while  before  Joseph's  death, 
and  the  HONOR,  therefore,  that  Bro. 
Miller  was  to  do  the  Almighty,  was 
yet  in  the  future.  He  never  aposta- 
tized, but  he  disdained  to  follow 
lirigham  Young  in  HIS  APOsTAry,and 
<;ROSS  USURPATION. 

Gen.  Miller  was  one  of  the  truest 
friends    that    Joseph,   the    prophpt, 
ever  had.    And   it  very  illy  becomes  j 
you  or  any  other  man  who  claims  j 
faith   in    Joseph,   to  accuse    him    of 
gross  crime  and  misdemeanors.     His 
house  and    possessions,  which  were 
large,  were  given   freely  to  the  poor 


suffering  Saints  when  they  arrived 
in  Quincy,  Illinois,  bleeding  and  cold 
and  hungry  and  robbed  and  driven 
by  the  tender  mercies  of  Missouri 
mob  violence;  and  had  it  not  been 
for  his  own  means,  when  he  was 
made  Bishop,  many  of  the  poor 
would  have  suffered,  if  they  had  not 
I  died,  from  want.  Joseph  Smith  and 
I  Hy rum,  had  unlimited  confidence  in 
him.  Besides, his  labors  to  build  the 
temple,  and  the  amount  of  his  toils 
in  traveling  back  and  forward  over 
the  wilds  of  Wisconsin,  to  and  from 
Blackriver  Falls  to  make  and  bring 
down  lumber  for  the  Nan voo Temple 
and  other  buildings,  was  simpl.v  pro- 
digious. 

It  is  very  easy  for  those  who  have 
grown  to  ease,  wealth  and  affluence 
with  little  toil,  to  stand  up  and  ac- 
cuse such  men  with  crime  and  apos- 
tacy,  but  in  the  day  of  God's  righte- 
ous judgment  Gen.  George  Miller  will 
i  be  there,  and  I  imagine  that  his  ac- 
cusers will  not  like  to  face  him,  and 
that  they  will  greatly  prefer  to  be 
somewhere  else. 

He    became    poor    for   the    poor's 
sake,  and  wore  himself  out  in  labor 
i  and  toil  such  as  is  scarcely  believable 
by   ordinary    men,  for   the  common 
welfare  of  the  people. 

By  the  way,  accusing  men  of  sex- 
ual criminal,  and  branding  them  as 
"apostates,"  has  come  to  be  a  very 
convenient  way  of  getting  rid  of 
those  who  are  opposed  to  our  pro- 
ceedings, and  refuse  to  be  led  by  un- 
authorized men.  But  God  does  not 
let  such  men  as  Gen.  George  Miller 
slip  very  easily  through  His  tinkers, 
I  can  tell  you. 


The  General  followed  Brlgham's 
I*M nip  from  NMIIVOO  to  (Council  Bluffs, 
F  believe,  on  the  supposition  that 
young  .Joseph  Smith  was  appointed 
by  his  fuMier  to  succeed  him,  a  belief 
that  Bringam  Young,  by  cunning  in- 
nuendos.  created  in  many  others  as 
well  as  him,  (see  Prophetic  Contro- 
versy, page  3,  note  2,)  but  when  it 
was  proclaimed  iti  that  camp  that 
they  were  abut  to  ELECT  a  First  Pres- 1 
idency,  and  Brigham  began  to  give 
revelations  in  the  name  of  the  Lord,  j 
and  undertook  to  lead  the  Church  as  | 
Joseph  Smith  did,  without  either  an  ; 
appointment  by  revelation,  or  any 
ordination  that  authorized  him  to ; 
act  in  any  such  office,  Gen.  Miller  did 
there  and  then  utterly  refuse  to  fol- 
low him  further.  Here  is  the  sum  of 
Gen.  Miller's  "apostacy."  He  never 
apostatized  from  the  faith;  nor  did 
he  apostatize  from  Brigham  Young- 
ism;  for  he  could  notapostatize  from 
that  which  he  never  adhered  to  or 
received. 

"When  we  got  to  winter  quarters," 
says  the  General,  (about  the  28th 
of  January,  1840,)  "I  had  presented 
to  me  a  revelation  given  through 
Brigham  Young,  in  regard  to  the 
journeyingof  theSaints  west.  Young 
intimated  to  me,  also,  that  a  First 
Presidency  would  be  organized.  I 
was  so  greatly  disgusted  at  the  bad 
composition  and  folly  of  this  revela- 
tion, as  also  the  intimation  that  a 
First  Presidency  would  be  organ- 
ized, that  I  \v MB  from  this  time  deter- 
mined to  go  with  him  no  longer, and 
to  look  out  a  place  where  I  might 
support  my  family,  and  remain  until 
the  true  shepherd  of  God's  flock 
should  show  himself,  to  lead  the 
Church  and  Kingdom  of  God." 

General  George  Miller  knew  mighty 
xvell  that  "this  greater  Priesthood," 
that  is,  that  Priesthood  xvhich  is 
after  the  HOLIEST  order  of  God,  xvhich 


1'.) 


Joseph  Smith  held,  "holdeth  the  key 
of  the  mysteriesof  the  Kingdom,  even 
the  key  of  the  Knowledge  of  God;" 
(Doc.&Cov.  Sec,  84:  18-19.)  and  that 
no  man  can  hold  that  order  of  the 
priesthood  unless  he  is  called  and  or- 
dained to  it  as  Joseph,  himself,  was. 
And  that  as  Brigham  Young  was 
never  either  called  to  it'or  ordained 
to  it, after  that  manner,  he  could  not 
hold  the  keys  that  belong  to  it.  And 
Mr.  Cannon,  knoxving  as  you  must, 
|  that  Brigham  Young  never  received 
I  an  ordination  to  any  such  office, it  is 
;  astounding,  to  me,  that  you  or  any- 
one else,  knowing  the  nature  and  vir- 
tue of  a  true  ordination,  could  be 
found  advocating  the  claims  of  Brig- 
ham  Young  as  a  prophet  of  God, and 
a  successor  to  the  prophet,  Joseph 
Smith!  Would  you  call  a  man  an 
elder  who  xvas  never  ordained  an 
elder?  Would  yon  call  a  man  ahigh- 
!  priest  xvho  xvas  never  ordained  to 
that  office'  YVould  you  call  any  one 
an  apostle  xvho  was  never  ordained 
to  that  office?  You  knoxv  that  all 
those  called  assistant  presidents  of 
|  the  Church  in  Joseph  Smith's  day, 
were  all  ordained  to  it,  and  xvill  you 
persist  in  calling  Brigham  Young  an 
apostle  of  the  very  highest  order, 
such  as  Joseph  xvas,  without  being- 
ordained  to  it  as  he  (Joseph;  xvas? 
And  don't  you  knoxv  that  as  you 
never  had  such  an  office  as  this 
among  you  since  Joseph  xvas  taken, 

THAT  YOU  CAN  HAVE  NO  LAXVFULLY 
ORDAINED  BISHOPS  AMONG  YOU?  Be- 

cause  no  bishop,  unless  ordained 
under  the  hands  of  just  such  a  presi- 
dent of  the  Church,  can  be  lawfully 
ordained?— (Doc.&Cov. Sec. 72:  20.) 

Mr.  Cannon,  you  and  your  co-lead- 
ers have  long  led  the  people  by  a  false 
and  usurped  authority;  but  it  seems 
to  me  that  the  time  for  a  full  ex- 
posure of  your  falseclaimshaspretty 
clearly  arrived.  There  are  no  more 


r talis  to  flee  to,  and  railroads  are 
plenty,  and  truth  for  that  purpose 
is  rich  and  abundant.  One  thing  is 
certain,  God  will,  sooner  or  later, 
hurl  the  usurpers  from  their  high 
places,  as  one  of  old,  to  crop  the 
grass  of  the  field  till  they  learn  not 
to  usurp  or  blaspheme  His  holy  name 
and  character  with  their  unholy 
claims  and  hollow  pretentious.  "He 
that  leadeth  into  captivity,  shall  go 
into  captivity." 

I  could  tell  you  a  good  deal  more 
about  General  George  Miller  than 
you  know;  and  of  him  I  could  freely 
say:— "Let  me  die  the  death  of  the 
righteous, and  let  my  last  end  be  like 
his."  I  would  covet  no  higher  hon- 
ors, nor  any  greater  reward  than 
that  which  I  feel  well  assured  will  be 
his.  There  was  no  hypocrisy  about 
him,  nor  seeking  of  place  nor  power 
to  which  he  was  never  called;  and  it 
did  not  take  him  long  to  tell  such 
men  as  Brigham  Young  just  what  he 
thought  of  him.  "Don't  attempt," 
said  he  to  Mr.  Young,  "to  put  your- 
self upon  a  par  with  the  prophet, 
Joseph.  The  contrast  is  as  wide  as 
between  the  ox  and  the  toad." 

He  was  not  one  of  that  class  of 
men    who     could     see    that     either 
"Elijah's    mantle"  or  the    prophet, 
"Joseph's  mantle"  had  fallen  either 
on  theTwelve  or  on  Brigham  Young, 
nor  had  the  least  faith  in  such  con- 
temptible sectarian  folly.     He  want- 
ed a  little  more  evidence  than  a  mere 
dramatic  gesture,  before  he  could  be- 
lieve that  any  such   "mantle"   had 
fallen   upon   any  such  man  or  men. 
But  in  a  time  of  great  suffering  and 
trial  God  gave  him  a  glorious  vision, 
in  which  he  was  shown  the  calling  of 
James  J.  Strong,  which  he  saw  at  a 
glance,  was  in  direct  harmony  with 
the  law  providing  for  a  successor  to 
the  prophet  Joseph.    And  that  most 
clearly  and  satisfactory  v  settled  that 
question  forever  with  him. 


Now,  friend   Cannon,   WE  do   not 
think   that   truth  is  a   very  delicate 
child,  or  that  it  is  at  all' liable  to 
take  cold  by  a  little  EXPOSURE.    You 
may  imagine  that  silence  lends  an 
air   of    dignity,    sectarian-like,    but 
God,  and  observing  men,  know  that 
you    discuss  in    your   columns   and 
everywhere  else  a    thousand    other 
questions.     And  why  not  this  ques- 
tion of  your  right  to  lead  theChurch? 
Perhaps  you  will  put  off  the  honest 
inquirer  as  to  why  you  don't  like  to 
discuss  this  one  question,  by  saying 
as  the  Lamoni.  or  Joseph!  te  Herald, 
that  "this  Strangite  is  seeking  noto- 
riety," and  "we  don't  want  to  write 
|  them  into  notoriety,"  &c.     But  why 
don't  you  say  the  same  things  to  all 
your  opponents,   whenever  a    chal- 
jlenge  to  debate  any  other  question 
|  comes  up?     WThy  did  you  not  put  off 
j  Parson  Newman  in  that  way?    Why 
[charge  your  elders  NOT  to  discuss 
|  this  question  above  all  others?    Ace 
I  you  afraid  that  your  followers  will 
j  find  out  that  you  not  have  the  truth 
on  your  side  in  this  very  important 
question, as  well  as  in  others?    Have 
thelltah  Mormons  really  got  so  that 
they  like  to  see  their  elders  whipped 
out  on  the  most  important  point  in 
their  faith?     Why  do  you  all  make  it 
your  business  to  prove  your  doctrine 
by  the  scriptures,  but  make  this  one 
very  important  question  an  exception 
to  all  the   rest?    Or  has  it    got,  like 
the  Catholic  Trinity  and  other  mys- 
teries,  "too   heavenly   to   be   under- 
stood?" 

Did  Jesus  ever  say:— "I  will  give 
you  a  month  and  wisdom  which  ALL 
your  adversaries  shall  not  be  able  to 
gainsay  or  resist?"  And  did  he  ever 
say  that:— "Every  tongue  that  shall 
rise  up  against  you  in  judgment,  you 
shall  have  power  to  condemn?"  and 
that  "this  is  the  HERITAGE  of  his  ser- 
vants?"-^ Doc.  &  Co  v.  Sec.  71:  7  to  10- 
Isaiah  54:  17.) 


"Notoriety?"  0,1113'!  Aside  from 
the  miMUATiox,  and  a  desire  to  do 
good  to  my  fellows,  I  sincerely  doubt 
whether  there  is  a  man  between  here 
and  Lamoni,  and  from  thereto  Salt 
LakeCity,  who  cares  less  for  notorie- 
tv  than  vonr  humble  servant!!  But 


21 

yon  can  very  easily  stop  his  mouth, 
if  you  have  the  truth  on  your  side. 
And  now,  DO  so,  for  he  is  not  one  of 
that  class  of  men  "who, even  though 
vanquished,  can  argue  still." 

TKULY,  W.  W. 


A    FULL    HISTORY 


OF  THE  LETTER  OF  APPOINTMENT  WRITTEN 
BY  THE  PROPHET,  JOSEPH  SMITH,  TO  JAMES 
J.  STRANG,  AND  ITS  RECEPTION  AT  BUR- 
LINGTON, W1S.,  AS  KEPT  BY  THE  APPOINT- 
ED CHURCH  SCRIBE. 


The  following  statement  immedi- 
ately follows  the  Letter  of  Appoint- 
ment in  the  church  record  kept  in 
Yoree,  from  the  day  of  its  reception 
—  July  J),  1844— down  to  the  present 
time,  and  is  sufficiently  explicit  as  a 
history  of  that,  to  ns,  very  important 
document.  W.  W. 

"1.  And  now  it  appears  that  this 
letter  was  on  this  wise:— In  Febru- 
ary in  the  year  eighteen  hundred  and 
forty-four,  James  J.  Strung:,  in  com- 
pany with  Aaron  Smith,  and  under 
his  teaching,  visited  Nauvoo,  the 
city  of  the  Saints  and  there,  was 
more  fully  instructed  by  Joseph 
Smith,  H.vruni  Smith  and  Sidney 
Rigdon,  in  the  gospel. 

••:>.  On  the  twenty-fifth  day  of  Feb- 
ruary in  that  year,  he  was  baptized 
by  Joseph  Smith  who  gave  him  the 
gift  of  the  Holy  Ghost  by  the  laying 
on  of  hands,  and  blessed  him  with 
many  and  great  blessings,  and  said: 
'I  seal  upon  thy  head  against  God's 
good  time,  the  keys  of  the  Melchize- 
dec  Priesthood:'  and  afterward,  but 
in  the  same  ordinance:  'thon  shall 
hold  the  keys  of  the  Melchizedec 
Priesthood;  shalt  walk  with  Moses, 
Enoch  and  Elijah,  and  shalt  talk 
with  God  face  to  face.' 

'•:>.  And  on  the  third  day  of  March 
in  the  sa  me  year,  he  was  ordained  an 
Elder  in  the  Church  of  Jesus  Christ  of 


Latter  Day  Saints,  by  the  laying  on 
of  the  hands  of  Hyrum  Smith,  ac- 
cording to  the  testimony  and  the 
Spirit  of  Prophecy,  and  the  word  of 
the  Holy  Ghost;  and  he  said:  'I  per- 
ceive by  the  spirit  which  is  within 
me,  that  thon  shalt  carry  the  gospel 
with  the  spirit  like  flaming  fire,  to 
many  nations, and  b.v  thee  shall  God 
save  the  pure  of  his  people." 

"4.  At  this  time  much  was  said 
of  the  necessities  of  the  Saints,  for 
want  of  a  suitable  country  for  settle- 
ment, where  they  could  avoid  perse- 
cution and  continual  molestation, 
and  the  prophet  Joseph  asked  coun- 
sel of  James  J.  Strang,  who  was 
greatly  learned  in  geography,  in  re- 
gard to  many  countries,  especially 
California,  New  Mexico  find  Oregon, 
and  he  advised  an  exploration  of 
thosecoun tries  fordetermining  what 
facilities  they  offered  for  settlement, 
and  gave  much  information  in  re- 
gard to  them,  both  for  the  guidance 
of  the  explorers  and  to  determine 
what  parts  were  worth  exploration. 

"5.  He  also  advised  a  settlement  of 
the  Saints  to  be  formed  immediately 
on  White  River  in  Wisconsin,  to  con- 
sist of  mechanics  and  artisan  from 
the  Northern  and  Eastern  states. 
and  Provinces  of  America,  and  from 
Europe,  because  the  climate  of  Nau- 
voo is  unfavorable  to  the  health  of 
such,  and  the  place  does  not  furnish 


business  wherewith  to  employ  thorn; 
both  which  ililiirnlt ics  would  be  en- 
tirely obviated  by  such  ;in  ariange- 
iiieut,  and  niiin.v  other  advantages 
would  be  gained  in  peaceable,  la  w- 
abiding  neighbors,  cheapness  of  ac- 
cess and  facilities  for  building. 

"('».  The  exploration  of  the  Nebms- 
ka  country.  New  Mexico  and  upper 
California  was  immediately  deter- 
inined  on.  and  arrangements  eom- 
nienced  for  sending  out  twenty -five 
ex plorcrs  during  the  following  sum- 
mer. 

"7.  It  was  enjoined  upon  James  J  j 
Stran^  by  Joseph  Smith,  Hyrum 
Smith  and  Sidney  Rigdon.  to  return 
to  \Visconsinand  make  more  full  ex- 
aminationsof  thecountry  withdirect 
reference  to  the  ad.vantages  it  might 
offer  to  the  Saints,  and  to  write  to 
Joseph  the  results  of  that  examina-j 
tion,  after  which  he  would  determine 
by  the  best  light  that  God  would 
give  him,  what  ought  to  be  done. 

"8.  Aaron  Smith  concurred  with 
James  J.  Strang  In  recommending'  a 
gathering-  in  Wisconsin,  and  counsel- 
ed the  selection  of  the  country  on 
White  River  as  the  place  for  planting' 
a,  Stake  of  Zion;  and  it  was  agreed 
by  all  that  the  thing  should  he  look- 
ed upon  with  favor  and  prosecuted 
with  vigor  to  a  final  result. 

"9.  On  the  24i h  day  of  May,  1S44, 
James  J.  Strang  having  completed 
his  examinations  and  inquiries, 
wrote  th*'  result  in  a  letter  to  Joseph 
Smith,  to  which  Aaron  Smith  a  few 
days  Jifter  added  a  note,  concurring 
therein,  and  attesting  the  facts  there- 
in stated. 

"10.  The  letter  contained  a  minute 
statement  of  the  advantages  for  the 
settlement  of  the  Saints,  which  the 
southeastern  section  of  Wisconsin 
offered,  more  especially  for  the  build- 
ing of  a  town  on  White  River,  im- 
mediately west  '»f  Burlington.  It 


was  put  in  the  post-office  at  Burling- 
ton,  directed  to  Joseph  Smith  of 
Nanvoo,  AHOCT  THE  LAST  OF  MAY  itv 
AARON  SMITH. 

"11.  Moreover  the  preceding  letter 
(of  appointment.  -\V .  W. )  is  in  answer 
thereto,  and  was  mailed  at  Xauvoo, 
on  the  19th  day  ot  June,  which  plain- 
ly appears  by  the  post-mark  thereon, 
and  directed  to  James  J.  Strung  at 
Burlington  in  Wisconsin,  at  which 
place  it  arrived  by  mail  at  the  time 
before  stated,  and  was  taken  from 
the  post-office  on  the  same  day  by 
Caleb  P.  Barnes,  an  attorney  at  law. 
find  by  him  delivered  to  James  J. 
Strang  IN  THK  PRESENCE  OF  AARON 
SMITH,  WHO  IMMEDIATELY  SAT  DOWN 
TOGETHER  AND  OPENED  AND  READ 
THE  LETTER." 

Mr.  Blair,  at  the  East  Jordan  de- 
bate, spoke  with  an  air  of  great  as- 
surance, against  the  idea  of  Mr. 
Strang  giving  Joseph  Smith  counsel 
in  relation  to- desirable  territory  for 
the  location  ol  the  Saints, as  follows: 
— "We  deny, "says  Mr.  Blair,  "that 
Joseph  Smith  asked  counsel  of  Mr. 
Strang  where  to  locate  the  Church. 
It  was  unreasonable.  Mr.  Strang' 
had  just  come  into  the  church;  and 
besides  that,  Joseph  then  had  his 
la  wful  counsellors.  There  were  also 
many  learned  men  in  the  church  who 
were  fully  competent  to  give  counsel 
if  needed."  Biit<weanswer,as  stated 
in  this  document,  that  Joseph  and 
his  two  highest  counsellors  enjoined 
the  matter  of  further  looking  up  the 
nature  and  resources  of  this  land, 
and  James  and  Aaron  Smith  faith- 
fully did  as  required.  And  now,  we 
itsk  in  allcandor,  honesty  and  sinceri- 
ty, what  there  is  about  all  this  that 
proves  Mr.  Strang  a  dishonest  or 
evil-designing  man?  It  is  amazingly 
strange, supposing  as  Mr.  Blair  says, 
that  Joseph  Smith  had  his  lawful 
counsel lors,  that  he  was  so  bound 


24 

hand  and  foot  that  he  could  not  ask 
a  question  or  make  a  little  inquiry  of 
an  intelligent  man, in  relation  to  cer- 
tain regions  of  country  which  he 
.supposed  Mr.  Strang  might  know, 
and  of  which  neither  he  nor  his  coun- 
sellors did  know  or  could  know  of 
themselver. 

It  will  be  seen  further,  from  the! 
above  history,  that  Mr.  Strnng  was 
not  alone  in  the  counsel.  Aaron 
Smith  who  WHS  well  acquainted  with  j 
Mr.  Strang,  and  who  was  a  High  : 
Priest  in  the  region  of  Burlington, 
Wis.,  under  whose  preaching  Mr. 
Strang  was  partially  converted  to 
the  faith,  and  who  accompanied  Mr. 
Strang  to  Nauvoo,  it  seems  was 
present  at  this  counsel,  and  heard 
Mr.  Strang's  advice,  and  confirmed 
what  he  said  in  relation  to  the  land 
on  White  River,  \Vis.  Moreover,! 
when  Mr.  Strang  had  completed  his 
investigations,  and  was  about  to 
send  his  account  to  Joseph  Smith, 
this  Aaron  Smith  added  a  note  to  1 
this  account,  confirming  what  Mr. 
Strang  had  just  written;  and  this; 
same  Aaron  Smith  is  the  very  man 
that  put  Mr.  Strang's  letter  to  Jos- 
eph Smith,  containing  his  own  con- 
firmatory note,  into  the  post-office 
at  Burlington,  and  was  also  present 
when  C.  P.  Barnes  presented  the  letter 
written  by  Joseph  to  Mr.  Strang  in 
answer,  as  stated  in  the  Diamond 
page  .">,  par.  5:  and  THKSE  THREE  MEN- 
SAT  DOWN  TOGETHER,  while  Mr. 
Strang  read  the  letter. 

Where  is  the  chance  for  forgery 
here?  If  all  this  amounts  to  forgery, 
in  thenameof  truth,  what  letter  that 
has  ever  been  received  by  any  man 
since  the  world  began  can  be  proved 
genuine? 

Now,  there  is  another  thing  that 
is  of  much  importance  touching  this 
letter.  If  this  letter  had  been  one  of 
the  more  modern  letters,  enclosed  in 


an  envelope,  and  sent  to  Mr.  Strang, 
it  might  be  an  easv  matter  for  the 
enemy  to  say  that  the  letter  was 
forged,  and  slipped  into  an  envelope 
that  had  recently  been  received  from 
Xauvoo  on  other  business  with  the 
Nnnvoo  post-mark  on  it.  But  that 
is  a  thing  which  all  are  most  effectu- 
ally barred  against  doing.  For  the 
letter  of  Joseph  Smith  containing  Mr. 
Strang's  appointment,  is  one  of  the 
old-fashioned  style, common  in  those 
days,  and  still  later,  where  the  last 
page  of  the  sheet  was  left  blank  for 
the  purpose  of  receiving  the  address 
after  being  folded;  the  edges  then  be- 
ing inserted  into  each  other  were 
joined  together  by  either  a  wafer  or 
a  little  heated  sealing  wax.  Such 
were  the  letters  of  those  times,  and 
such  was  and  is  the  letterof  appoint- 
ment. It  is  still  in  existence  and  may 
be  examined  by  any  one  curious 
enough  to  investigate  its  claims;  and 
it  has  the  Nauvoo  post-mark;  as  all 
the  letters  from  Nauvoo,  nt  that 
time  have,  and  is  stamped  with  red 
ink,  giving  the  lie  very  forcibly  to  all 
those  who  said  it  was  black.  And 
to  those  who  have  reported  that  the 
letters  in  the  mailing  stamp  of  this 
letter  "were  one  size  larger  than 
those  in  the  mailing;  stamp  at  Nau- 
voo," Mr.  Strang's  answer  is  still, — 
"measure  it;  it  has  been  measured  a 
thousand  times  already,  and  no  one 
has  detected  a  difference."  And, 
again,  to  those  who  say  that  it  is 
not  in  the  hand-writing  of  Joseph 
Smith,  I  answer  that  it  s  not  in  the 
common  hand-writing  of  any  man, 
but  is  written  in  a  very  plain  way  ix 
ITALICS;  and  was,  1  presume, so  writ- 
ten in  order  that  there  should  be  no 
doubt  or  uncertainty  created  by 
either  word  or  letter  therein. 

But  Mr.  Blair  essays  to  attack  the 
genuineness  of  this  letter  on  other 
grounds.  It  was  altogether  too  long 


iii  coming,  he  .says:  "I  am  somewhat 
acquainted  with  the  way  the  mail 
was  carried  in  those  dnys,  and  I 
KNOW,"  says  he,  "Miat  it  would  not 
take  more  than  THKKK  days  for  a  let- 
ter to  go  from  NMUVOO  to  Burling- 
ton; bntthiH letter  was  TWENTY  DAYS 
reaching  its  destination.  Does  not 
this  look  suspicious?'' — (Watson- 
Blair  Debate,  page  54.) 

"I'd  rayther  not  KNOW  quite  so 
much,"  says  Josh  Billings,  "than  to 
know  so  much  that  ain't  so."  Now, 
Mr.  Blair,  doyou  KNOW  that  there  was 
aregularDAiiATiuail  between  Nauvioo 
and  Burlington,  Wis.,  takingChicago 
in  its  route  at  that  time?  Ahorse 
that  would  go  over  one-third  that 
route,  which  must  be  at  least  350 
miles,  in  one  day,  with  a  man  and 
mail-brigon  his  back,  would  boa  very 
valuable  animal!  I  do  positively 
KNOW,  by  actual  experience,  myself, 
of  instances  where  it  has  taken  fully 
three  weeks  for  letters  to  come  40 
miles,  and  where  there  was  a  daily 
stage  more  than  half  the  way.  Such 
things  are  not  at  all  uncommon  on 
many  routes.  But  the  seriding:r«f 
that  letter  is  now  nearly  nfty* 
since,  and  at  a  time,  too,  wMfl 
lines  and  daily  mails  were  exceeding- 
ly limited.  So  I  think  afi'ii^Blaii- 
KNOWS  a  great  deal  that  f>flifa't  so." 

But  Mr.  Blair  thinks t^f-vvas a  very 
risky  way  to  send  soj  important  a 
document  as  the  Letter  of  Appoint- 
ment through  the  mails.  I  can't  help 
but  think  however,  that  it  was  quite 
as  safe  as  any  other  way,  especially 
when  I  remember  that  Willard  Rich- 
ards published  it  far  and  nearatthat 
time,  that  there  were  sealed  docu- 
ments left  in  his  hands,  that  could 
not  be  opened  until  the  return  of  the 
Twelve  Apostles  to  Nauvoo,  that 
would  show  who  was  appointed  to 
succeed  Joseph,  but  which  were  never 
opened  to  the  public  nor  referred  to 


after  they  did  get  home,  (see  Diamond, 
page  5.)  We  imagine,  also,  that  God 
and  His  prophet  knew  a  little  better 
than  Mr.  Blair,  how  His  appoint- 
ments ought  to  be  conveyed.  The 
most  important  documents  of  all 
nations  have  been  carried  in  the 
mails,  and  are  to-day. 

But  again  Mr.  Blair  criticizes.  The 
language  used  in  that  letter,  he  says, 
is  not  Joseph  Smith's  language;  and 
he  gives  us  a  sample  of  Joseph 
Smith's  language  when  rebuking 
corrupt  and  wicked  men,  and  deri- 
ding their  political  and  hypocritical 
inconsistencies,  as  John  C.  Calhoun 
and  Henry  Clay. 

Mr.  Blair  would  have  us  to  believe 
that  Joseph,  the  seer,  had  but  one 
style  or  mood  of  expression,  no  mat- 
ter whether  he  were  reproving  and 
scoring  political  hypocrites  or  con- 
templating the  most  glorious  and 
sublime  things  of  the  heavens. 

Just  read  paragraph  23,  of  Joseph's 
second  letter  on  baptism  for  the 
dead,  and  then  read  his  advice 
on  "writing  letters,"  his  instruc- 
tion upon  "Common  Schools," 
^'Friendly  Hint  to  Missouri."  "Views 
of  the  Government  and  Policy  of  the 
United  States, "  and  then  read  the 
facts  or  matters  of  history  he  has 
given  us  in  "History  of  Joseph 
Smith,"  and  then  tell  men  of  common 
sense  that  there  is  no  difference  in 
the  mood,  tone,  style  and  spirit  of 
all  these;  and  if  you  do  I  should 
think  that  they  could  as  easily  be- 
lieve that  there  was  no  difference  be- 
tween an  oak  and  a  pine,  a  spruce 
and  a  cedar,  a  cherry  tree  and  an 
apple  tree,  &c.  And  yet  the  revela- 
tions which  God  gave  him,  are  so 
different  from  HIS  OWN  mode  of  ex- 
pression as  to  be  altogether  unlike. 
A  child  could  very  easily  distinguish 
them  one  from  the  other  by  hearing 
alone. 


26 

The  Letter  of  Appointment,  so  far 
as  Joseph's  own  words  to  James  are 
concerned,  are  very  much  like  many 
things  written  by  him,  in  tone  and 
composition,  but  the  revelation  ap- 
pointing- James  differs  only  in  the 
subject,  or  object  of  it,  from  those  in 
the  Book  of  Doctrine  &  Covenants — 
the  style  is  the  same. 

I  confess  that  I  do  not  like  to  fol- 
low up  Mr.  Blair  in  his  quibblings. 
and  his  very  learned  (?)  distinctions 
where  there  is  no  difference.  But  I 
do  like  to  advocate  the  truth,  and 
must,  therefore,  follow  him  a  while 
longer  In  his  remarks  touching  this 
letter. 

Joseph  says  in  this  letter: — "In  the 
midst  of  darkness  and  boding  (sur- 1 
rounding)  danger,  the  spirit  of  Eli- 
jah came  upon  me,  and  I  went  away 
to  inquireof  the  Lord  howthechurch 
should  be  saved."  And  right  here! 
will  boldly  say  that  if  it  wan  not 
necessary  then  to  inquire  of  the  Lord 
howthechurch  should  be  saved  from 
the  perils  she  was  then  in,  and  that! 
were  threatening  daily  on  every  j 
hand,  never,  since  the  world  began, 
has  anything  of  that  kind  been  nec- 
essary. Here  is  Joseph  and  Hyrum 
about  to  be  taken  from  them;  a 
howling  mob  stands  readyand  eager 
to  destroy,  to  murder  and  rob  and 
exile,  and  here — worst  of  all — stand 
a  number  of  men  ready  to  start  up 
to  deceive, mislead  and  blind  the  peo- 
ple with  fals.e  doctrine  and  delusion; 
a  most  horrible  and  dreadful  time  it 
was,  indeed!  "Great  calamities" 
were  then  impending,  and  if  the  word 
of  God  was  not  then  necessary  to 
warn  the  people,  and  guide  them 
safely  through  all  this,  it  is  vain  to 
say  that  revelation  for  any  such  ob- 
ject was  ever  needed  under  any  cir- 
cumstances, and  yet  the  revelation 
contained  in  the  Letter  of  Appoint- 
ment was  the  only  one  given  through 


Joseph,  the  only  lawful  revelator  to 
the  church,  as  a  guide  and  a  warning 
from  the  threatening  ruin.  But  in 
Joseph's  going  away  to  inquire  of 
God  "how  the  church  should  be 
saved,"  lie  says — "I  was  upon  the 
Hill  of  the  temple.  The  calm  father 
of  waters  (the  Mississippi)  rolled  be- 
low, CHANGELESS  and  eternal.  I  be- 
held a  light  in  the  heavens  above,  and 
streams  of  bright  light  illuminated 
the  firmament,  varied  and  beautiful 
as  the  rainbow,  gentle,  yet  rapid  as 
the  fierce  lightning.  The  Almighty 
came  from  His  throne  of  rest.  He 
clothed  Himself  with  light  as  with 
a  garment.  He  appeared,  and  moon 
and  stars  went  out." — (seeDiamond, 
pages  3  and  4.) 

Here  Mi1.  Blair  arises  as  one  who 
has  made  a  wonderful  discovery, and 
says: — "It  is  absurd  to  claim  that  in- 
spiration would  say  that  the  Missis- 
sippi was  changeless.  Why,  there 
are  times  when  it  wildly  overflows 
its  banks.  In  a  single  night  its  con- 
ditions are  entirely  changed." 

Surprising  discovery,  Mr.  Blair! 
But  what  little  school-boy  does  not 
know  all  that? 

Mr.  Blair  is  evidently  one  of  that 
class  of  men  who  have  undertaken 
to  convict  the  prophets  of  God,  but 
succeed  only  in  exposing  their  own 
ignorance  and  folly,  and  are  put  to 
shame. 

The  reader  will  bear  in  mind  that 
this  language  is  merely  the  descrip- 
tive language  employed  by  the 
prophet  Joseph  in  giving  an  account 
of  a  glorious  vision  which  heclaims 
to  have  had  in  behalf  of  the  church. 
The  revelation  given  by  the  God  of 
heaven  on  this  occasion,  is  another 
and  different  thing.  Joseph  MKJIIT, 
possibly  use  erroneous  phraseology 
in  his  descriptive  account  of  this  or 
any  other  vision  or  communication. 
But  neither  Joseph  nor  any  other 


L'7 


prophet,  ever  fails  to  make  hiniKelf 


clearly   understood     to    those     \\lio 


pleased  with  them  when  they  do 
wrong.  And  to  be  thus  pleased,  or 
properly  examine  their  testimonies,  displeased  with  righteousness  or  un- 
He  might  say,  "He  (God)  appeared,  righteousness, is  one  of  His  nnchang- 


andmoon  and  stars  WENTOIT."  And 
quibbling  and  unreasonable  men  like 
Mr.  lUair,  might  ask.  "where  did 
they  go  to?"  \Ve  might  answer  by 
asking  where  they  go  to  when  the 
sun  rises?  They  disappear  from  hu- 
man eyesight,  that  is  where  they ''go 
to."  The  sun's  light  being  so  much 
more  powerful  and  glorious,  blots 


ing  characteristics.  So  with  the 
Mississippi;  it  is  one  of  its  great 
characteristics,  to  rise  and  fall  in  the 
volume  of  its  waters,  but  taken  dec- 
ade by  decade, and  century  by  centu- 
ry, and  one  thousand  years  by  an- 
other, it  changes  not  in  these  charac- 
teristics. In  its  changeability  it  is 
unchangeable.  There  are  a  good 


out, or  swallowsup,  the  weaker  light  I  many  other  things  that  are  full  of 
of  moon  and  stars.  Just  so  in  this  I  changes  but  still  never  change.  The 
glorious  vision.  But,  Mr.  Blair  asks  wicked  aresaid  to  be  without  changes 


again:— "who  kept  house"  when  the 
Almighty  came  from  His  throne  of 
rest?  What  a  question  for  a  man 


yet  their  whole  lives  are  full  of 
changes. — (Ps.  55:  19.)  In  their  GEN- 
ERAL CHARACTER  they  change  not, 


claiming  to  be  a  minister  of  God,  to  !  though  they  may  change  from  good 


ask!  A  more  profane  or  ignorant 
question  could  not  be  asked  by  the 
roughest  boy  that  runs  the  streets. 
It  we  were  as  profanely  curious  we 


nature  or  good  humor,  to  anger  and 
wrath  several  times  a  day.  Just  so 
with  various  animals,  wild  and  do- 
mestic. The  earth,  the  moon  and 


might  ask,  who   kept  house  on  the  !  niany  planets, are  constantly  chang- 
numerous  occasions  when  He  came 
down  and  talked  with   Moses,  with 
Elijah,  with  Isaiah  and  with   many 
other  prophets  in  the  past? 

At  first  sight  it  would  seem  redicu- 
lous  to  say  that  the  Mississippi  was 
"changeless."  God,  Himself,  is  said 
to  be  unchangeable,  and  so  He  is; 
yet  there  are  long  periods  in  His  life 
when  He  is  well  pleased  with  His 
people, arid  again  there  are  long  peri- 
ods when  His  anger  against  them 
burned  and  smoked  against  them 
"to  the  lowest  hell."  His  whole 
character  towards  men  in  the  past, 
has  been  a  succession  of  changes 
from  pleasure  to  anger,  wrath,  jeal- 
ousy and  hot  displeasure,  and  yet  it 
is  said  He  never  changes.  Full  of 
changes  towards  men,  and  yet  never 
changes!  How  is  this?  The  answer 
is  that  He  is  ever  pleased  in  any  and 
in  all  ages  of  the  past,  with  men 
when  they  do  right,  and  is  ever  dis- 


ing.  yet  never  change  from  their  gen- 
eral character.  Thus  far  upon  the 
unchangeable  father  of  waters. 

But,  "the  earth  dissolved  in  space," 
says  Joseph.  And  says  Mr.  Blair: 
<'Now,  is  it  true  that  on  the  18th  of 
June,  1844,  the  earth  dissolved  in 
space?" 

Thus  Mr.  Blair  seems  to  take  pleas, 
ure  in  exposing  hisown  ignorance, in 
the  attempt  tu  convict  and  expose 
the  prophet.  Mr.  Blair  ought  to 
know  by  this  time,  that  the  earth 
and  all  its  elements  are  EXCEEDINGLY 

SENSATIVE  at,  01*  IN  THE  PRESENCE  OF 

GOD,  or  the  angels  of  His  presence. 
The  prophets -of  God,  ancient  find 
modern,  have  given  us  numerous  in- 
stances of  this;  and  I  believe  the 
prophets  <>t  God  understood  these 
things  any  amount  better  than  the 
philosophers  of  the  present  day,  the 
best  of  them.  ; 
Joseph  Smith,  by  revelation  from 


God,  says:— "Verily,  I  say  unto  you, 
that  ALL  THINGS  unto  me  (God)  are 
spiritual,"  &c.  That  is,  all  things  in 
the  presence  of  God  partake  of  the 
nature  of  Spirit,  intelligence,  motive 
and  will.— (Doc.  &  Cov.  Sec.  28:  9.) 
And  again  we  read  that  God  hath 
"given  a  law  unto  ALL  THINGS,  by 
which  they  move  in  their  times  and 
in  their  seasons."— (Sec.  85:  11.)  If 
all  things  have  a  law  given  unto 
them,  that  implies  that  all  things 
have  a  power  to  obey  law;  and  if 
they  have  power  to  obey  law,  they 
must  have  sufficient  lightand  knowl- 
edge, motive  and  will,  to  enable  them 
to  work  correctly  by  that  law;  and 
this  is  the  view  that  all  the  prophets 
and  all  the  heavenly  host  have  given 
us  of  them,  from  the  beginning,  ^t^ 
I  quote  now  from  the  77th  Psalm. 
16-18.  "The  waters  SAW  Thee,  O,God, 
the  waters  saw  Thee;  they  were 
AFRAID;  the  depths  also  were 

TROUBLED." 

And  now,  from  Habbakuk.  Chap. 
3:  9—10. — "Thy  bow  was  made  quite 
naked  according  to  the  oaths  of  the 
tribes.  Thou  didst  clean  the  earth 
with  rivers.  The  MOUNTAINS  SAW 
THEE  and  they  TREMBLED;  the  deep 
UTTERED  HIS  VOICE,  and  lifted  up 
his  hands  on  high,"&c.  This  is  what 
the  prophet  Habbakuk  saw  would 
take  place  in  the  latter  days,  when 
God  comes  down  to  deliver  His  peo- 
ple. 

Speaking  of  the  same  or  similar 
things,  Isaiah  says: — "When  thou 
didst  terrible  things  which  we  looked 
not  for,  thou  earnest  down,  the 
mountains  flowed  down  AT  THY 
PRESENCE." — (Is.  64:  3.) 

"O,  God,  when  Thou  wentest  forth 
before  thy  people,  when  Thou  didst 
march  through  the  wilderness,  the 
earth  shook,  the  HEAVENS  DROPPED 
at  the  presence  of  God;  even  Sinai 
itself,  was  MOVED  at  the  presence  of 


God,theGod  of  Israel."— (Ps. 68: 7-8.) 
"When  Israel  went  out  of  Egypt, the 
house  of  Jacob  from  a  people  of 
strange  language,  *  *  *  the  SEA 
SAW  it  and  FLED;  Jordan  was  drivcni 
back.  The  mountains  SKIPPED  LIKE 
RAMS,  and  the  little  hills  LIKE  LAMHS. 
What  ailed  thee,  O,  thou  sea,  that 
thou  fleddest?  ^e  mountains  that 
ye  skipped  like,,rams,  and  ye  little 
hills  like  lambs?  Tremble  thou 
earth,  AT  TH$  PRESENCE  of  the  Lord; 
at  the  presence  of  theGod  of  Jacob." 
— (Ps,  114.) 

"And  Mount  Sinai  was  altogether 
on  a  smoke,  BECAUSE  THE  LORD  DE- 
SCENDED UPON  IT  IN  FIRE;  and  the 
smoke  the-reof  ascended  as  thesmoke 
of  a  furuiice,  and  the  whole  mount 
quaked  greatly." 

If  I  wished  to  quibble  and  trifle 
with  holy  things,  I  might  ask  if  "the 
heavens  Cropped"  where  did  they 
DROP  to?  If  Sinai  was  moved  at  the 
presence  of  God,  where  did  it  MOVE 
to?  If  the  hills  and  mountains  skip- 
ped like  lambs  and  rams,  where  did 
they  SKIP  to?  And  when  the  heavens 
opened,  as  Stephen  and  others  have 
told  us,  why  did  they  not  stay  open? 

&c. 

* 

With  all  these  things  written  before 
us  for  our  learning,  and  much  more 
of  like  character,  Mr.  Blair  is  seem- 
ingly astonished  at  the  saying,  "the 
earth"  immediately  in  the  vicinity  of 
where  the  prophet  Joseph  stood  and 
talked  with  God,  "dissolved  in 
space,"  &c.,  and  feels  only  to  ridicule 
such  sayings  as  "extravagant,"  un- 
reasonable and  untrue.  O,  my,  I 
could  introduce  here  a  good  deal 
more  of  this  "extravagant"  lan- 
guage, and  I  can't  help  but  think 
that  if  the  following  language  from 
the  pen  of  Joseph  Smith,  were  only 
found  in  Mr.  Strang's  appointment, 
Mr.  Blair  would  ridicule  it  as  "ex- 
travagant," with  a  vengeance. 


"Let  the  car tli  break  forth  into 
HINGING,  *  *  *  let  the  iiKMintnitiH 
HIIOUT  FOR  JOY:  and  a'l  ye  valleys 
GUY  ALOUD;  and  all  ye  seas  and  dr.y 
lands  TELL  the  wonders  of  your  eter- 
nal King.  And  ye  rivers  and  brooks, 
and  rills  flow  down  with  GLADNESS. 
Let  the  WOODS  and  all  the  TREES  of 
the  Held  PRAISE  the  Lord;  and  ye 
solid  rocks  WEEP  FOR  JOY,  And  let 
the  aim,  moon  and  morning  stars 
SING  TOGETHER,  and  let  all  the  sons 
of  God  shout  for  jov.  And  let  the 
eternal  creations  declare  His  name 
for  ever  and  ever." — (2nd  Letter  on 
Baptism  for  the  Dead.) 

According  to  Mr.  Blair,  Joseph 
Smith  never  wrote  this  most  beauti- 
ful paragraph,  BECAUSE  IT  is  ALTO- 
GETHER UNLIKE  HIS  REBUKE  OF  HENRY 
CLAY  AND  JOHN  C.  CALHOUN  !  And 

right  here  I  feel  to  say,  as  Joseph 
said  when  reproving  other  political 
hypocrites: — "O,  Granny,  what  a 
long  tail  our  puss  has  got !!"  What 
a  wonderful  discernment  Mr.  Blair- 
has  of  the  prophet's  moods,  "style 
and  composition!!!" 

Modern  notions  touching  theearth. 
the  planets  and  llirir  elements,  would 
lead  us  to  conclude  that  the  above 
language  is  very  lofty,  sublime,  and 
grandly  poetic,  to  he  sure,  but  very 
hard  to  believe  possible;  but  Joseph 
and  all  other  prophets,  knew  very 
well  what  they  were  doing  in  using 
such  language  as  this.  Nothing  at 
all  impossible  about  it;  nor  is  it  in 
the  least  unreasonable  or  "extrava- 
gant." 

"I  tell  you,"  said  Jesus,  when  the 
Pharisees  would  rebuke  the  multi- 
tude because  they  shouted  his  praise, 
"if  these  should  hold  their  peace,  the 
STONES  would  immediately  CRY  OCT." 

"Then  he  arose  and  REBUKED  the 
winds  and  the  sea.  and  there  was  a 
great  calm."  And  they  then  said, 
"What  manner  of  man  is  this,  that 


2!) 


even  the  WINDS  and  the  SEA  OBEY 
him?"— (Luke  8:  24,  25.  19,  39,40.) 

lean  hardly dismissthis  particular 
point  without  Introducing  a  little  of 
the  "extravagance"  of  both  E/.ekiel 
and  the  God  who  sent  him. 

"Thus  saith  the  Lord  God  to  the 
mountains,  to  the  hills,  to  the  rivers 
and  to  the  valleys,  to  the  desolate 
wastes,  and  to  the  cities  that  are 
forsaken,"  &c.  *  *  *  "Ye,  O,  MOUN- 
TAINS of  Israel, shall  shoot  forth  your 
branches,  and  yield  your  fruit  to  my 
people  Israel;  for  they  are  at  hand 
to  come," — that  is,  from  all  the  na- 
tions of  the  earth,— "For  behold,  I 
am  for  you, and  I  will  turn  untoyou, 
andyeshall  be  tilled  and  sown.  And 
I  will  multiply  men  upon  you,  all  the 
house  of  Israel, even  all  of  it,  and  the 
cities  shall  be  inhabited,  and  the 
wastes  shall  be  builded,and  I  will 
multiply  upon  you  man  ami  beast, 
and  I  will  settle  you  after  your  old 
estates;  and  I  will  do  better  unto 
you  than  at  your  beginning,  and  YE 
SHALL  KNOW  that  I  am  the  Lord. 
Yea,  I  will  cause  men  to  walk  upon 
you,  and  they  shall  possess  thee,  and 
thou  shalt  be  their  inheritance,  and 
thou  shalt  henceforth  bereave  them 
of  men  nomore."— (Ezek. 36th Chap,) 

"Extravagant"  language?  What 
kind  of  language  is  the  above,  ad- 
dressed to  hills,  mountains,  rivers, 
valleys,  desolate  cities  and  waste 
places?  Things  like  this  are  crowd- 
ing upon  me,  but  I  have  not  space 
for  but  little  more.  Moses  said  "the 
Bush  burned  but  the  bush  was  not 
consumed."— (Exod.  3:  2.)  What! 
Anything  burn  and  not  beconsumed? 
What  if  a  remark  like  this  had  been 
made  in  the  letter  of  appointment? 

Isaiah  says  that  while  he  was  in 
the  temple  of  God,  that  the  God  of 
Israel  appeared  there,  and  that  the 
posts  of  the  door  MOVED  at  His  pres- 
ence. O,  that  would  be  impossible 


without  bursting  the  stone-work  of 
the  temple.  Who  can  believe  an  "ex- 
travagant" thing  like  this?  O,  but 
that  is  not  it  all,  either;  for  on  this 
occasion  the  prophet  was  sad  that 
he  was  a  man  of  unclean  lips,  and  he 
says  one  of  the  seraphim  flew  and 
took  a  LIVE  COAL  from  the  altar  and 
laid  it  upon  his  lips  and  told  him 
that  that  had  removed  his  unclean- 
ness  of  lips.  O,  surely,  if  a  thing  of 
that  kind  were  done  it  would  have 
burned  his  mouth;  and  besides,  how 
would  a  live  coal  remove  a  man's  in- 
iquity or  uncleanness  of  lips?  Great 
"extravagance"  here  again,  you  see! 
— (Exod.3:  2;  Is.  6:  1-7.) 

To  use  Mr.  Blair's  beautifel  phrase- 
ology, touching  the  Letter  of    Ap- 


pointment,— "All  these  false  a  ml  ex- 
travagant sayings,  should  brand 
that  vagabond"  Book,  the  Bible,  and 
that  other  vagabond  book,  the  Doc- 
trine &  Covenants,  as  frauds  and 
forgeries. — (See  Mr.  Blair's  remarks 
on  page  21  of  Watson-IUair  debate 
on  the  letter  of  appointment.) 

1  notice  that  Mr.  Blair  can  argue 
very  well  when  pretty  thoroughly 
whipped.  He  seems  to  act  on  the 
principle  that  what  he  lacks  in  logic, 
has  to  be  madeup  in  chaff  and  cheek. 
It  is  nothing  for^him  to  refute  the 
prophets  of  God,  and  the  Almighty, 
Himself.  Indeed,  it  often  happens 
that  he  refutes  Mr.  Blair! 


For  additional  copies  or 
further  Information  address 
H.  C,  ANDERSON 
•••..•7th     P 


I 


I 


